Y"W 


EESE    LIBRARY 


UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA. 

Receiivd. .. 
Accessions  2\'o.   '2-^/'7'73       Shelf  No. . 


BIOGRAPHIA  AMERICANA; 

OR, 

A  HISTORICAL  AND  CRITICAL  ACCOUNT 

OP   THE- 

LIVES,  ACTIONS,  JLND  WRITINGS, 

OF   THE 

MOST   DISTINGUISHED  PERSONS 

IN 

NORTH  AMERICA; 

FROM    THE    FIRST!,,  SETTLEMENT    TO    THE    PRESENT    TIME, 


"  If  within  the  memory  of  man,  or  the  compass  of  history,  any  class  of  individuals  have  merited,  be> 
yond  others,  the  honours  and  rewards  of  their  cotemporaries,  the  gratitude  of  posterity,  and  the  admira~ 
tionof  the  world,  it  is  those  who,  unmoved  by  difficulty,  danger,  and  misfortune,  directed  the  councils, 
and  led  to  victory  the  arms  of  their  country,  in  the  long  and  sanguinary  contest,  which  resulted  ia  the 
INDEPENDENCE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES." 

"  No  study  can  be  more  useful  to  the  ingenuous  youth  of  the  United  States,  than  that  of  their  own  histo 
ry,  nor  any  examples  more  interestiiig,  or  more  safe  for  their  contemplation,  than  those  of  the  great  fona=> 
ders  of  the  republic." Tudor's  Life  of  Otis. 


}   ^Ste-nj  r«-m»-n.     X  .   J'-T-C-TI  ^  'V  ^ 
BY  A  GENTLEMAN  OP  PHILADELPHIA. 


PUBLISHED  BY  D.  MALLORY, 
1825. 

Hopkins  t  Morris.  Printers, 


Southern  District  of  Nrw-Yorlc,  a  : 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  second  clay  of  July,in  the  iurty-  ninth  year  of  the  Independence 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  B.  F.  French,  of  the  said  district,  hath  deposited  in  this  office  the  title 
of  a  book,  the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  author  and  proprietor,  in  (he  words  following,  to  wit: 

"  Biographia  Americana;  or,  a  historic  »i  and  critical  account  of  the  lives,  actions,  and  writings,  of  tbs 
most  distinguished  persons  in  North  America;  from  the  first  settlement  to  the  present  time. 

"  If  within  the  memory  of  man,  or  the  compass  of  history,  any  class  of  individuals  have  merited,  be 
yond  others,  the  honours  and  rewards  of  their  cotemporaries,  the  gratitude  of  posterity,  and  the  admira- 
tio»  of  the  world,  it  is  those  who,  unmoved  by  difficulty,  danger,  and  misfortune,  directed  [he  councils, 
and  led  to  victory  the  arms  of  their  country,  in  the  long  and"  sanguinary  contest,  which  resulted  in  the 
INDEPENDENCE  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES." 

"  No  study  can  be  more  useful  to  the  ingenuous  youth  of  the  United  States,  than  that  of  their  own  histo 

,  nor  any  examples  more  interesting,  or  more  safe  for  their  contemplation,  than  tlrjse  ol  the  great  foun 
ers  of  the  republic.  -  Tudor^s  Life  ofUtis.     By  a  gentleman  ot  Philadelphia." 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled  "  An  Act  for  the  encouragement 
of  Learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such 
copies,  during  the  time  therein  mentioned;"  and  also  to  an  Act,  entitled  "  An  Act  supplementary  to 
an  Act,  entitled  an  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts, 
and  Books  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,  and  ex 
tending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  and  other  prints 

JAMES  DILL, 
Cleric  of  the  Southern  District  of  Nrx-Yor'k 


ry 
de 


Ft 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  design  of  this  volume  is  to  lav  before 
the  reader  a  series  of  lives  of  the  most  illus 
trious  men  of  North  America,  from  its  first 
settlement  to  the  present  time — embracing  a 
long  list  of  distinguished  individuals,  whose 
fame  will  go  down  to  posterity  as  the  noblest 
monument  to  their  country's  glory. 

This  work,  the  most  complete  of  its  kind 
that  has  ever  appeared,  will  be  found,  on  ex 
amination,  to  contain  what  has  been  long  con 
sidered  a  desideratum  in  our  literature — the 
lives  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  in 
dependence,  and  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

It  may  be  added,  that  the  materials  which 
form  this  work  have  been  drawn  from  the 
highest  and  best  authorities:  and  likewise, 
the  numerous  engravings  which  adorn  it,  may 
be  relied  on  as  faithful  and  correct  likenesses. 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Adams,  Samuel 1 

Adams,  John 4 

Adams,  John  Quincy  ...   6 

Andros,  Edmund  ....  10 

Arnold,  Benedict  ....  11 

Bard,  Samuel 14 

Burr,  Aaron 16 

Bradford,  William    ...  17 

Bradford,  William     ...  19 

Boylston,  Zabdiel     ...  19 

Roylston,  Nicholas  ...  20 

Bowdoin,  James     ....  21 

Benezet,  Anthony    .   .  .  22 

Bernard,  Francis    ....  23 

Backus,  Isaac 25 

Bellamy,  Joseph    ....  25 

Belknap,  Jeremy  ....  26 

Bartram,  John 27 

Bartram,  William  ....  28 

Barlow,  Joel SO 

Barton,  Benjamin  Smith  32 

Brainerd,  David 34 

Bainbridge,  William     .   .  36 

Brown,  Nicholas   ....  38 

Boone,  Daniel  ......  39 

Bartlett,  Josiah 41 

Brown,  Charles-Brockden  43 

Biddle,  Nicholas    ....  45 

Blair,  John 48 

Baldwin,  Abraham    ...  49 

Brearly,  David 49 

Bayard,  James 50 

Clay,  Henry 52 

Clayton,  John 54 

Clarke,  John 55 

Clap,  Thomas 56 

Cutler,  Timothy    ....  57 


Page 
Chauncey,  Charles    ...    58 

Clymer,  George 59 

Carver,  John 61 

Carver,  Jonathan  ....  63 
Calvert,  Leonard  ....  64 
Colman,  Benjamin  ...  66 
Chauncey,  Charles  ...  67 
Clinton,  De  Witt  ....  69 

Carroll,  John 71 

Clinton,  George 72 

Coddington,  William  .  .  74 
Golden,  Cadwallader  .  .  75 

Cooper,  Samuel 77 

Cotton,  John 78 

Gushing,  Thomas  ....  79 
Crawford,  William  ...  80 
Danforth,  Thomas  ....  83 
Davenport,  John  ....  83 

Davies,  Samuel 84 

Decatur,  Stephen  ....  86 
Dickinson,  John  ....  90 
Dickinson,  Jonathan  .  .  .  91 
Dallas,  Alexander  James  92 
Davie,  William  Richardson  93 
Dwight,  Timothy  ....  96 
Edwards,  Jonathan  ...  100 
Edwards,  Jonathan  .  .  .  103 

Elliot,  John 103 

Ellsworth,  Oliver  ....  106 
Eaton,  Theophilus  .  .  .  108 

Fulton,  Robert 110 

Franklin,  Benjamin     .   .  113 

Floyd,  William 118 

Fayette,  Marquis  dela  .  119 
Greene,  Nathaniel  .  .  .  125 
Gwinnett,  Button  ....  132 
Gates,  Horatio 133 


VI 


Page 
Gorham,  Nathaniel  .   .   .134 

Gage,  Thomas 135 

Henry,  Patrick 137 

Hamilton,  Alexander  .   .  143 

Harvard,  John     150 

Hooker,  Thomas  ....  150 

Hollis,  Thomas 151 

Huntington,  Samuel  .  .  151 
Hopkins,  Samuel  ...  .153 

Hall,  Lyman 154 

Heath,  William 155 

Hopkinson,  Francis.  .   .  157 

Hancock,   John 158 

Hutchinson,  Thomas  .  .  161 
Hey  ward,  Thomas  .  .  .  162 
Jefferson,  Thomas  .  .  .  .164 
Jackson,  Andrew  ....  168 

Jay,  John 179 

King,  Rufus 181 

Knox,   Henry 183 

Kollock,  Henry 185 

Laurens,  Henry 190 

.Linn,  John  Blair  .  .  .  .192 
Lewis,  Meriwether  .  .  .  193 

Ledyard,  John 194 

Livingston,  Robert  R  .  .197 
Livingston,  William  .  .  198 
Livingston,  Philip  .  .  .  200 
Lincoln,  Benjamin  .  .  .  202 
Lee,  Richard  Henry  .  .  .  204 

Lee,  Arthur 206 

Logan,  James 207 

Lynch,  Thomas 208 

Morris,   Robert 211 

Morgan,  Daniel 214 

Montgomery  Richard  .  .216 
Morton,  Nathaniel  .  .  .  216 
Moultrie,  William  .  .  .217 

Monroe,  James 218 

Murray,  William  Vans  .  22  1 
Minot,  George  Richards  .  222 

Mifflin,  Thomas 223 

Mayhew,  Jonathan  .   .   .  224 

Morgan,  John 225 

Morris,  Gouverneur  .  .  .  227 
Marshall,  John  .  .22$ 


Page 

Mather,  Increase 228 

Mather,  Cotton 230 

Madison,  James     ....  232 

Norton,  John 234 

Otis,  James 236 

Putnam,  Israel     239 

Parsons,  Theophilus  .  .  240 
Paine,  Robert  Treat  .  .  243 

Porter,  David 246 

Perry,  Oliver  Hazard  .  .  248 
Pike,  Zebulon  M.  ...  250 
Pinckney,  Charles  .  .  .  251 
Pinckney,  William  .  .  .  253 
Paine,  Robert  Treat  .  .  255 
Paine,  Thomas  .....  256 

Penn,  William -258 

Preble,  Edward  ,  ....  261 
Pinckney,  Charles  C.  .  -  262 
Quincy,  Josiah  .  .  .  •  •  264 
Rush,  Benjamin  .  •  •  •  •  266 
Rittenhouse,  David  .  .  •  269 

Read,  George •  270 

Randolph,  Peyton  •   •   .   .  272 
Rutledge,  John    .   •   •   .   •  274 
Rutledge,  Edward  .   •   .   •  276 
Ramsay,  David    .....  277 

Redman,  John  ......  280 

Sullivan,  John  ....-•  282 

Stockton,  Richard  .  •  •  •  283 

Sherman,  Roger 285 

Smith,  Samuel  Stanhope  288 
Shippen,  William  ....  295 
Stoddard,  Solomon  .  -  -  296 

Stiles,  Ezra .  297 

Sullivan,  James  .....  298 

Stark,  John 300 

Stewart,  Charles  ....  301 
Schuyler,  Philip  ...  1  303 
Trumbull,  John  .....  305 

Tappan,  David 306 

Trumbull,  Jonathan  .  .  .  307 
Thornton,  Matthew  .  •  .  308 
Tompkins,  Daniel  D.  •  •  310 
Whipplc.  William  ....  31] 
Willard,  Samuel  •  .  .  •  313 
Williams.  Roger  •  •  •  -314 


VII 


Warren,  Joseph  . 
Wayne,  Anthony 
Williamson,  Hugh 
West,  Samuel   .   .  , 
Winthrop,  John  . 
Winthrop,  John  . 
Wistar,  Caspar  .  . 
Wilkinson,  James 


Page 


Page 


316  Wythe,  George 334 

320  Washington,  George    .  .  338 

322  West,  Benjamin 347 

324  Walton,  George  ....      350 

325  Williams,  William    .   ."  [  351 
327  Wolcott,  Oliver  ....'.  352 
331  Wilson,  Alexander    ...  354 
333  Ward,  Artemas 356 


THB 


AMES 


BIOGRAPHIA  AMERICANA, 


ADAMS,  SAMUEL,  a  distinguished  statesman  and 
patriot,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  Sep 
tember  27,  1722.  His  ancestors  were  very  re 
spectable,  and  among  the  first  settlers  of  New-Eng 
land. 

In  the  years  1740  and  '43,  he  graduated  at  Har 
vard  college,  and  received  the  respective  degrees  of 
bachelor  and  master  of  arts.  On  the  latter  occasion, 
he  proposed  the  following  question  for  discussion : 
"  Whether  it  be  lawful  to  resist  the  supreme  ma 
gistrate,  if  the  commonwealth  cannot  be  otherwise 
preserved."  He  maintained  the  affirmative  of  this 
proposition,  and  thus  evinced,  at  this  early  period 
of  his  life,  his  attachment  to  the  liberties  of  the 
people.  Mr.  Adams  was  known  as  a  political  writer 
during  the  administration  of  governor  Shirley,  of 
Massachusetts,  to  whom  he  was  opposed,  as  he 
conceived  the  union  of  so  much  military  and  civil 
power  in  one  man,  to  be  dangerous. 

When  the  stamp  act  was  the  subject  of  conver 
sation,  of  public  resentment,  and  succeeding  tu 
mults,  Mr.  Adams  was  one  of  those  important 
characters  who  appeared  to  oppose  it  every  step. 
Nor  were  the  taxes  upon  tea,  oil,  and  colours, 
less  odious  to  the  Americans  than  the  stamp  act; 
on  this  occasion  he  boldly  opposed  the  risrht  of 

1 


Great  Britain  to  tax  the  colonies,  in  a  remonstrance 
of  some  length,  which  is  the  first  public  document 
we  have  on  record  denying  the  right  of  the  British 
parliament  to  tax  the  colonies  without  their  own 
consent. 

In  consequence  of  the  act  of  imposing  duties  in 
1767,  Mr.  Adams  suggested  a  non-importation 
agreement  with  the  merchants,  which  was  agreed 
to  and  signed  by  nearly  all  of  them  in  the  pro 
vince. 

At  a  very  early  period  of  the  controversy  with 
Great  Britain,  Mr.  Adams  suggested  the  impor 
tance  of  establishing  committees  of  correspondence, 
and  was  first  adopted  by  Massachusetts,  on  a  mo 
tion  of  Mr.  Adams,  at  a  public  town-meeting  in 
Boston.  This  plan  was  afterwards  followed  by  all 
the  provinces. 

He  was  afterwards  the  first  to  suggest  a  congress 
of  the  colonies. 

After  every  method  had  been  tried  to  induce  Mr. 
Adams  to  abandon  the  cause  of  his  country,  he 
was  at  length  proscribed,  in  connexion  with  John 
Hancock,  by  a  general  proclamation  issued  by  gov 
ernor  Gage,  June  12,  1775. 

In  1774  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  gene 
ral  congress. — In  1776,  on  the  4th  of  July,  he  was 
one  of  those  patriots,  who  fearlessly  subscribed  their 
" lives,"  their  "fortunes,"  and  their  "honour,"  to 
the  immortal  Declaration  of  Independence. 

Our  patriots,  in  their  progress  to  independence, 
had  successfully  encountered  many  formidable  ob 
stacles;  but  in  the  year  1777,  still  greater  difficul 
ties  arose,  at  the  prospect  of  which  some  of  the 
stoutest  hearts  began  to  falter.  At  this  critical 
juncture  there  were  but  twenty-eight  members  who 
attended  the  congress  at  Philadelphia.  With  re 
ference  to  it  Mr.  Adams  was  said  to  reply,  "It 
was  the  smallest,  but  the  truest  congress  they  ever 
had." 

In  1779,  ho  was  appointed  by  the  state  conven- 


tion,  one  of  the  committee  to  prepare  and  report  a 
form  of  government  for  Massachusetts.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  opposed  a  peace  with  Great 
Britain,  unless  the  northern  states  retained  their 
full  privileges  in  the  fisheries. 

In  1787  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Massa 
chusetts  convention,  for  the  ratification  of  the  con 
stitution  of  the  United  States.  He  made  several 
objections  to  it,  which  were  afterwards  removed  by 
its  being  altered  to  his  Wishes. 

In  1789  he  was  elected  lieutenant-governor  of 
the  state  of  Massachusetts,  and  continued  to  fill 
that  office  till  1794,  when  he  was  elected  gover 
nor.  He  was  annually  re-elected  till  1797,  when 
his  age  and  infirmities  induced  him  to  retire  from 
public  office.  He  died  October  3,,  1803,  aged  eigh 
ty-one  years. 

The  leading  traits  in  the  character  of  Mr.  Adanls 
were  an  unconquerable  love  of  liberty,  integrity, 
firmness,  and  decision.  Governor  Hutchinson,  in  an 
swer  to  the  inquiry,  why  Mr.  Adams  was  not  taken  oft* 
from  his  opposition  by  an  office,  writes  to  a  friend 
in  England — "  Such  is  the  obstinacy  and  inflexible 
disposition  of  the  man,  that  he  never  can  be  con 
ciliated  by  any  office  or  gift  whatever." 

To  a  majestic  countenance  and  dignified  manners, 
there  was  added  a  suavity  of  temper,  which  concili 
ated  the  affection  of  his  acquaintance.  Among  his 
friends  he  was  cheerful  and  companionable,  a  lover 
of  chaste  wit,  and  remarkably  fond  of  anecdote. 
His  mind  was  early  imbued  with  piety,  as  well  as 
cultivated  by  science. 

The  independence  of  the  United  States  of  Ame 
rica  is  perhaps  to  be  attributed  as  much  to  his  ex 
ertions,  as  to  the  exertions  of  any  one  man. 

His  writings  were  numerous,  and  much  cele 
brated  for  their  elegance  and  fervour,  but  they  are 
only  to  be  found  in  the  perishable  columns  of  a 
newspaper  or  pamphlet. 

In  1790  a  few  letters  passed  between  him  and 


Mr.  John  Adams,  then  vice-president,  in  winch 
the  principles  of  government  are  discussed.  This 
correspondence  was  published  in  1800. 


ADAMS,  JOHN,  LL.  D.  second  president  of  the 
United  States,  and  a  political  writer  of  consider 
able  reputation,  was  descended  from  one  of  the 
most  respectable  families  who  founded  the  colony 
of  Massachusetts,  and  was  born  at  Braintree,  Octo 
ber  19,  1735. 

At  an  early  age  he  was  distinguished  for  his 
scholarship,  and  graduated  at  Harvard  college. 
-He  then  entered  on  the  study  of  the  law,  and  in  a 
few  years  rose  to  distinguished  eminence  in  his 
profession. 

His  first  publication  was  "  An  Essay  on  Canon 
and  Feudal  Law,"  a  work  of  considerable  merit, 
learning,  and  research.  He  afterwards  employed 
his  pen  in  the  cause  of  his  country,  which  had  no 
little  influence  in  exciting  the  spirit  of  the  revolu 
tion,  and  in  diffusing  a  general  acquaintance  of  the 
principles  of  civil  liberty  among  his  fellow  citizens 
throughout  all  the  colonies. 

Such  was  his  high  standing  for  stern  integrity 
and  abilities  as  a  statesman  and  a  lawyer,  that  he 
was  unanimously  chosen  a  member  of  the  first  con 
gress,  which  met  at  Philadelphia  in  1774,  and  re- 
elected  in  the  following  year. 

In  that  august  assembly  oY  sages,  philosophers, 
and  statesmen,  whose  deliberations  will  never  cease 
to  reflect  their  effulgence  on  the  nations  of  the 
world,  he  uniformly  stood  in  the  first  rank,  and 
bore  a  distinguished  and  conspicuous  part  in  all  the 
discussions  of  that  eventful  period,  which  finally 
ended  in  a  separation  of  the  colonies  from  Great 
Britain. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  perceive  that  a  cordial 


reconciliation  with  Great  Britain  was  impossible ; 
and  was  therefore  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  mem 
bers  who  were  appointed  to  draft  the  ever  memor 
able  Declaration  of  Independence,  which,  after 
considerable  discussion,  was  passed  July  4,  1776, 
declaring  these  United  States  free,  sovereign,  and 
independent. 

In  the  next  year,  Mr.  Adams  was  appointed  joint 
commissioner  with  Drs.  Franklin  and  Lee,  to  pro 
ceed  to  the  court  of  Versailles,  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
of  alliance  and  commerce. 

In  1779  he  returned  home,  and  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  met  to  frame  a 
constitution  for  his  native  state.  In  this  assem 
blage  of  talents  and  wisdom,  his  labours  as  a  states 
man  were  pre-eminent;  and  the  constitution  in 
debted  for  many  of  her  most  excellent  provisions. 

In  1780,  he  was  commissioned  by  congress  to 
proceed  to  Europe,  to  conciliate  the  favour  and 
obtain  assistance  from  the  powers  on  the  con 
tinent,  in  our  arduous  struggle  for  independence. 
By  his  superior  address  he  procured  from  the 
Dutch,  the  necessary  sums  for  carrying  on  the  war, 
as  well  as  concluded  a  treaty  of  commerce  with 
the  republic  of  the  United  Netherlands.  He  after 
wards  went  to  Paris,  and  assisted  in  concluding 
the  general  peace. 

Mr.  Adams  was  next  appointed  the  first  minister 
to  the  court  of  Great  Britain.  During  his  stay  in 
Europe,  he  published  his  celebrated  Defence  of  the 
Constitutions  of  the  United  States,  in  which  he 
advocates,  as  the  principles  gf  a  free  government, 
equal  representation,  of  which  number,  or  proper 
ty,  or  both,  should  be  a  rule ;  a  total  separation  of 
the  executive  from  the  legislative  power,  and  of 
the  judicial  from  both ;  and  a  balance  in  the  legisla 
ture  by  three  independent,  equal  branches.  "  If  there 
is  one  certain  truth,"  says  he,  "  to  be  collected  from 
the  history  of  all  ages,  it  is  this :  that  the  people's 
rights  and  liberties,  and  the  democratical  mixture 


6 

in  a  constitution,  can  never  be  preserved  without  a 
strong  executive ;  or  in  other  words,  without  sepa 
rating  the  executive  power  from  the  legislative." 

Mr.  Adams,  after  having  twice  filled  the  office 
of  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  was,  in  the 
year  1796,  called  by  the  almost  unanimous  suffrage 
of  his  fellow  citizens,  to  fill  the  presidential  chair, 
which  had  been  vacated  by  the  resignation  of  Wash 
ington. 

This  office  he  filled  with  his  usual  ability  until 
the  expiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  was  elected, 
when,  like  his  great  predecessor,  he  retired  from 
office,  after  having  faithfully  served  his  country, 
and  contributed  to  her  happiness  and  prosperity, 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  as  a  private 
citizen. 


ADAMS,  JOHN  QUINCY,  LL.  D.  sixth  president 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  at  Braintree,  Mas 
sachusetts,  July  11,  1767.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
years  he  accompanied  his  father  to  Europe,  and 
before  he  had  attained  the  age  of  eighteen,  acquired 
most  of  her  principal  languages,  and  resided  in  most 
of  her  celebrated  capitals. 

In  1785,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  permitted  by 
his  father  to  return  home,  and  finish  his  education 
in  his  own  country.  In  two  years  afterwards,  he 
graduated  at  Harvard  college,  and  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  chief  justice 
Parsons. 

In  1790,  he  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts 
of  Massachusetts,  and  fixed  his  residence  in  Boston. 

In  1791,  he  published  a  series  of  papers  in  the 
Boston  Centinel,  under  the  signature  of  Publicola, 
containing  remarks  upon  the  first  part  of  Paine's 
Rights  of  Man,  which  excited  much  public  notice  in 
this  country,  as  well  as  in  Europe. 

In  1793-4,  he  published  various  political  essays. 


which  did  honour  to  his  talents,  and  drew  upon  him 
the  notice  of  president  Washington,  who  afterwards 
selected  him  for  the  important  post  of  minister  re 
sident  to  the  Netherlands. 

From  this  period,  until  1801,  he  was  successively 
employed  as  a  public  minister  in  Holland,  England, 
and  Prussia.  And  during  his  residence  in  the  latter 
country,  he  concluded  a  treaty  of  commerce  with 
that  power,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  our  cabinet. 

In  1801,  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
next  year  was  elected  a  member  of  the  senate  of 
Massachusetts,  and  in  1803,  of  the  senate  of  the 
United  States.  He  passed,  altogether,  six  years  in 
these  two  bodies,  engaged  indefatigably  and  promi 
nently,  in  the  important  questions  which  occupied 
their  attention. 

It  was  during  this  perplexing  period  of  public 
affairs,  that  he  nobly  sacrificed  the  interest  of  party 
to  that  of  his  country,  by  which  he  has  more  firmly 
interwoven  his  name  in  the  annals  of  his  country. 

In  consequence  of  his  appointment  of  first  Boyls- 
ton  professor  of  rhetoric  and  oratory  in  the  uni 
versity  of  Cambridge,  he  resigned  his  seat  in  the 
senate  of  the  United  States  in  the  year  1808. 

He  had  no  sooner  completed  a  most  brilliant 
course  of  lectures  on  rhetoric  and  oratory,  in  that 
renowned  institution,  when  he  received,  unsolicited, 
from  president  Madison,  the  appointment  of  minis 
ter  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of  Russia., 

In  1813,  Mr.  Gallatin  and  Mr.  Bayard  arrived 
at  St.  Petersburg,  empowered  to  negotiate,  jointly 
with  Mr.  Adams,  a  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Bri 
tain,  under  the  mediation  of  Russia.  The  British 
government  declined  the  mediation,  but  proposed  a 
direct  negotiation,  which  finally  took  place  at  Ghent, 
in  1814,  with  Mr.  Adams  as  its  head,  on  the  Ameri 
can  side. 

This  event  is  too  recent  and  important,  to  make 
it  necessary  to  say  any  thing  further  in  praise  of  the 


abilities  and  talents  of  Mr.  Adams,  as  a  diplomatic 
and  statesman. 

At  the  termination  of  this  successful  mission,  Mr. 
Adams  repaired  to  London,  and  there  concluded, 
jointly  with  Mr.  Clay  and  Mr.  Gallatin,  a  commercial 
convention.  Our  government  having  appointed  him, 
immediately  after  the  ratification  of  the  peace  of 
Ghent,  envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  plenipo 
tentiary  to  the  British  court,  he  remained  in  London 
in  that  capacity,  until  the  summer  of  1817,  when  he 
was  called  home  by  president  Monroe,  to  fill  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state. 

To  give  even  an  outline  of  his  labours,  and  of  the 
business  which  has  been  done  since  he  has  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  this  high  and  responsible  office, 
would  swell  this  article  to  an  immoderate  size';  we 
shall  therefore  content  ourselves  by  briefly  enume 
rating  a  few  leading  facts  only.  Under  his  instruc 
tions,  a  commercial  convention  was  negotiated  with 
Great  Britain  in  1818. 

In  1819,  he  signed  the  Florida  treaty  with  Don 
Luis  de  Onis,  which  gave  to  us  not  only  the  Flo- 
ridas,  and  an  indemnity  of  five  millions  of  dollars 
for  our  merchants,  but  the  first  acknowledged  boun 
dary  from  the  rocky  mountains  to  the  Pacific. 

In  1822,  he  signed  with  the  ambassador  of  France, 
a  convention  of  commerce  and  navigation,  which 
was  unanimously  ratified  by  the  senate. 

To  great  talent,  Mr.  Adams  unites  unceasing 
industry  and  perseverance,  and  an  uncommon  faci 
lity  in  the  execution  of  business.  He  is  an  excel 
lent  classical  scholar,  and  an  erudite  jurist ;  and 
speaks  and  writes  several  foreign  languages.  He 
has  all  the  penetration  and  shrewdness  necessary  to 
constitute  an  able  diplomatist,  united  with  a  capa 
city  to  perceive,  and  the  eloquence  to  enforce,  what 
ever  will  conduce  to  the  welfare  and  interests  of  his 
country. 


1PIS1HIIKM 


AMES,  FISHER,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  states 
man,  was  born  at  Dcdham,  Massachusetts,  on  the 
9th  April,  1758.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  he 
entered  Harvard  college,  and  in  1774,  he  obtained 
the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts. 

After  spending  several  years  in  revising  his  studies, 
and  acquiring  other  solid  information,  he  at  length 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  in  the  office  of 
William  Tuder,  Esq.  of  Boston,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  1781. 

Rising  into  life  about  the  period  of  the  American 
revolution,  he  took  a  most  lively  and  affectionate 
interest  in  her  cause,  and  appeared  with  great  re 
putation,  as  a  writer  of  political  essays,  under  the 
signatures  first  of  Lucius  Junius,  and  afterwards  of 
Camillus.  At  the  bar,  young  as  he  was,  he  was 
remarked  as  a  pleader  of  uncommon  eloquence, 
and  a  counsellor  of  judgment  extraordinary  for  his 
years. 

In  1788,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  called 
in  that  state,  for  the  purpose  of  ratifying  the  federal 
constitution.  It  was  here,  that  for  the  first  time,  his 
powers  of  eloquence  opened  with  a  splendour  that 
astonished,  while  it  dazzled  the  assembly  and  the 
public. 

His  celebrated  speech  on  biennial  elections,  de 
livered  on  this  occasion,  was  not  only  able  and  con 
clusive  in  argument,  but  was  justly  regarded  as  a 
finished  model  of  parliamentary  eloquence. 

In  1789,  he  was  elected  a  representative  to  con 
gress,  and  for  eight  successive  years,  he  was  a  leading 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives. 

His  speech  on  the  appropriation  bill  for  carrying 
into  effect  our  treaty  with  Great  Britain,  was  the 
most  august  specimen  of  oratory  he  ever  exhibited, 
and  perhaps  is  not  exceeded  by  any  event  in  the 
history  of  eloquence. 

In  consideration  of  his  rank  as  a  statesman  and 
a  scholar,  the  college  of  Princeton  conferred  on  him 
the  honorar  deree  of  doctor  of  laws. 


10 

On  his  retirement  to  private  and  professional 
life,  ever  watchful  of  the  rights  and  interests  of  his 
country,  he  still  kept  up  his  contributions  to  politi 
cal  literature  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  exercise  his 
pen. 

In  1804,  he  was  chosen  president  of  Harvard  col 
lege,  but  the  infirm  state  of  his  health  obliged  him 
to  decline  the  honour. 

From  this  period,  his  health  gradually  declined, 
until  the  morning  of  the  4th  July,  1808,  when  he 
ended  his  mortal  career,  and  was  gathered  to  his 
fathers. 

Mr.  Ames  possessed  a  vigorous  understanding,  and 
a  rich  and  fertile  imagination.  As  a  statesman  and 
an  orator  of  transcendent  abilities,  he  was  fitted  for 
the  management  of  the  weightiest  concerns ;  as  a 
patriot  and  legislator  of  tried  integrity,  he  was  the 
idol  of  his  country. 

In  conversation,  he  was  as  eloquent  as  in  public 
debate.  In  his  manners  towards  his  friends  he  was 
easy  and  elegant,  affable  and  warm,  inviting  confi 
dence,  and  inspiring  affection ;  in  his  intercourse 
with  the  world,  polite,  yet  dignified,  modest  and  well 
bred ;  thus  to  the  qualifications  of  a  statesman,  and 
the  attainments  of  a  scholar,  uniting  the  habits  and 
deportment  of  a  gentleman.  His  works  have  been 
published  in  one  volume,  octavo. 


ANDROS,  EDMUND,  governor  of  New-England. — 
Previous  to  this  appointment  in  1674,  he  was  ap 
pointed  governor  of  the  province  of  New- York.  In 
1686,  December  20,  he  arrived  at  Boston  with  a 
commission  from  King  James,  for  the  government 
of  New-England.  His  administration  soon  proved 
oppressive  and  tyrannical — exorbitant  taxes  were 
levied,  the  press  restrained,  the  congregational 
ministers  were  threatened  to  be  deprived  of  their 


11 

support  for  non-conformity,  and  marriage  prohi 
bited,  unless  the  parties  entered  into  bonds  with 
sureties,  to  be  forfeited  in  case  there  should  after 
wards  appear  to  have  been  any  lawful  impediment ; 
besides  a  long  list  of  other  arbitrary  proceedings, 
which  caused  the  people  in  defence  of  civil  and  re 
ligious  liberty,  for  which  they  sought  in  the  wilds  of 
America,  to  take  up  arms  on  the  morning  of  the  18th 
April,  1689,  when  the  governor  and  about  fifty 
other  obnoxious  persons  were  seized  and  confined. 
The  old  magistrates  were  restored,  and  the  next 
month  the  joyful  news  of  the  revolution  in  England 
reached  this  country,  and  quieted  all  apprehen 
sion  of  the  consequences  of  what  had  been  done. 
In  February  following,  sir  Edmund  was  sent  to 
England  for  trial:  he  was  there  dismissed  without 
trial. 

In  1692,  he  was  appointed  governor  of  Virginia. 
He  died  in  Februarv,  1714. 


ARNOLD,  BENEDICT,  a  major  general  of  the 
American  army,  and  infamous  for  deserting  the 
cause  of  his  country.  At  an  early  period  he  exhi 
bited  a  mind  formed  for  bold  and  desperate  enter 
prise,  in  1775,  on  hearing  of  the  battle  at  Lex 
ington,  he  repaired  to  head-quarters  at  Cambridge, 
where  he  received  the  appointment  of  colonel.  In 
the  fall  of  the  same  year,  he  was  sent  by  the  com- 
rnander-in-chief  into  Canada.  After  enduring  in 
credible  hardships  for  six  weeks,  he  arrived  at 
Point  Levi,  opposite  to  Quebec.  On  the  1st  De 
cember  he  was  joined  by  Montgomery.  The  city 
was  immediately  besieged;  and  on  the  morning  of 
the  last  day  of  the  year,  an  assault  was  made  on 
one  side  of  the  city  by  Montgomery,  who  was  kill 
ed  ;  at  the  same  time  Arnold  made  a  desperate 
attack  on  the  opposite  side :  he  received  a  wound. 


12 

and  was  taken  immediately  to  the  camp :  though 
the  assault  proved  unsuccessful,  the  army  did  not 
leave  Canada  till  the  18th  June  following.  After 
this  period,  he  exhibited  great  bravery  in  the  com 
mand  of  the  American  ileet  on  lake  Champlain. 

In  August  1777,  he  relieved  fort  Schuyler,  which 
was  invested  by  colonel  St.  Leger,  with  an  army 
of  from  15  to  1800  men.     On  the  19th  September, 
and  the  7th  of  October,  he  displayed  great  bravery 
in  the  battles  near   Stillwater.     After  the  evacua 
tion  of  Philadelphia  by  the  British,  he  wras  appoint 
ed  to  the  command  of  the  American  garrison  at  this 
place.    On  taking  command,  he  made  the  house  of 
governor  Penn,  the  best  house  of  the  city,  his  head 
quarters.     This  he  furnished  in  a  very  costly  man 
ner,  and  lived  far  beyond  his  income.     He  was 
charged  with  oppression,  extortion,  and  enormous 
charges  upon  the  public  in  his  accounts,  and  with 
applying  the  public  money  and  property  to  his  own 
private  use.      His  conduct  was  condemned  by  a 
court  martial,  held  in  1779,  and  the  sentence  of  a 
reprimand,  on  being  approved  of  by  congress,  was 
soon  afterwards  carried  into  effect.     He  continued 
in  service  till  1780,  when  he  opened  a  correspond 
ence  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  for  betraying  West- 
Point  to  the  British,  in  which  negotiation  major 
Andre  became  a  victim.     Arnold  had  a  narrow  es 
cape,  and  got  on  board  an  English  ship  of  war. 
He  continued  to  serve  the  British  till  the  end  of  the 
war,  and  at  the  peace  retired  to  England,  where  he 
had  a  pension.    He  died  in  London,  June  14,  1801. 
His  character  presents  little  to  be  recommended. 
His  progress  from  self-indulgence  to  treason  was 
easy  and  rapid.     He  was  vain  and  luxurious,  and 
to  gratify  his   giddy  desires,    he    must  resort  to 
meanness,  dishonesty,  and  extortion.     These  vices 
brought  with  them  disgrace,  and  the  contempt  into 
which  he  fell  awakened  a  spirit  of  revenge,  and  left 
him  to  the  unrestrained  influence  of  his  cupidity 
and  passion.      Thus  from  the  high  fame  to  which 


13 

his  bravery  had  elevated  him,  he  descended  into 
infamy.  Thus  too  he  furnished  new  evidence 
of  the  infatuation  of  the  human  mind,  in  attaching 
such  value  to  the  reputation  of  a  soldier,  which 
may  be  obtained  while  the  heart  is  unsound,  and 
every  moral  sentiment  is  entirely  depraved. 


14 


BARD,  SAMUEL,  M.  D.  LL.  D.  president  of  the 
college  of  physicians  and  surgeons,  in  the  univer 
sity  of  New- York,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  on  the 
1st  April,  1742.  His  father  was  Dr.  John  Bard,  a 
distinguished  physician  of  New-York,  and  memo 
rable  for  being  the  first  person  who  performed  a 
dissection,  and  taught  anatomy  by  demonstration, 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic.*  At  the  age  of  14  years 
he  entered  King's  college,  under  the  private  pupil 
age  of  Dr.  Cutting.  While  at  college  he  gave  some 
attention  to  the  study  of  medicine,  and  afterwards 
devoted  himself  to  the  profession,  under  the  auspices 
of  his  father.  In  the  fall  of  1760,  he  sailed  for  Eu 
rope,  and  was  taken  by  a  French  privateer  and  car 
ried  into  Bayonne.  Upon  his  release  in  the  spring 
of  1761,  he  proceeded  to  London,  and  at  the  re 
commendation  of  Dr.  Fothergill,  was  received  into 
St.  Thomas's  hospital,  as  the  assistant  of  Dr.  Russel, 
the  celebrated  author  of  the  History  of  Aleppo. 
He  continued  in  that  capacity  until  his  departure  for 
Edinburgh,  enjoying  in  the  mean  time  the  instruc 
tions  of  Drs.  Else,  Grieve,  and  Akenside  the  poet. 
At  the  time  of  Dr.  Bard's  arrival  in  Edinburgh,  that 
celebrated  school  was  in  the  meridian  of  its  glory. 
Dr.  Robertson,  the  historian,  was  its  principal ;  and 
Rutherford,  Whytt,  Cullen,  the  Munros,  the  elder 
Gregory,  and  Hope,  its  professors. 

In  1765  he  graduated,  after  having  defended  and 
published  an  inaugural  essay,  (not  unworthy  of  his 
pen  in  the  brightest  period  of  his  fame,)  "de  viribus 
opii"  and  left  Edinburgh  loaded  with  honour,  in 
consequence  of  having  obtained  the  prize  offered 
by  Dr.  Hope,  for  the  best  herbarium  of  the  indige- 

*ln  1750,  Dr.  John  Bard  dissected  the  bodj  of  Hermannus  Carroll,  who  had 
been  executed  for  murder;  and  injected  the  blood  vessels  for  the  use  of  his 
pupils. 


*7  r  K  -•  T  r< 

^ 

15 

nous  vegetables  of  Scotland.  In  1765,  he  returned 
to  New- York,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  me 
dicine  in  connexion  with  his  father.  On  the  esta 
blishment  of  the  medical  school  in  New-York,  in 
1768,  Dr.  Bard  was  appointed  to  teach  the  theory 
and  practice  of  physic.  At  the  first  commencement 
held  in  1769,  Dr.  Bard  delivered  an  address  to  the 
first  medical  graduates ;  and  while  he  discoursed 
upon  the  duties  of  a  physician,  he  at  the  same  time 
urged  the  necessity  and  importance  of  an  hospital : 
So  great  was  the  effect  produced  by  this  discourse, 
that  on  the  very  day  on  which  it  was  delivered,  eight 
hundred  pounds  sterling  was  subscribed  towards  its 
erection. 

On  the  commencement  of  hostilities  in  1776,  the 
operations  of  the  medical  school  was  necessarily 
suspended.  On  the  restoration  of  peace,  after  se 
veral  abortive  attempts  to  revive  it,  the  trustees  of 
Columbia  college  resolved  to  place  it  upon  a  per 
manent  foundation,  by  annexing  in  1792,  the  faculty 
of  physic  to  that  institution.  Dr.  Bard  was  con 
tinued  as  the  professor  of  the  theory  and  practice 
of  medicine,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  dean  of 
the  faculty.  The  New- York  dispensary,  and  the 
city  library,  are  very  much  indebted  to  his  active 
exertions.  In  1795,  he  took  Dr.  Hosack  into  part 
nership;  and  in  1798,  retired  into  the  country, 
wrhere  he  zealously  engaged  in  the  pursuits  of  agri 
culture.  In  1806,  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
agricultural  society  of  Dutchess  county.  In  1811, 
he  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  college 
of  physicians  of  Philadelphia.  In  1813,  on  the  es 
tablishment  of  the  college  of  physicians  and  surge 
ons,  in  the  city  of  New- York,  he  was  chosen  its 
president,  and  retained  the  office  until  his  death. 

In  1816,  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  was  con 
ferred  on  him  by  Princeton  college. 

Dr.  Bard  closed  his  valuable,  exemplary,  and  Chris 
tian  life,  on  the  25th  May,  1821,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  79. — In  whatever  light  the  character  of  Dr.  Bard 


may  be  viewed,  it  must  elicit  admiration,  and  ex 
hibit  itself  in  the  commanding  attitude  of  a  model. 

As  a  president  of  the  college  of  physicians  and 
surgeons,  Dr.  Bard  presided  over  the  destinies  of  me 
dical  science  with  a  dignity  and  impartiality,  which 
commanded  the  respect  of  all. 

As  a  professor,  Dr.  Bard  deservedly  ranks  among 
the  first  whom  this  country  has  produced.  Pro 
foundly  versed  in  the  department,  which  it  was  his 
province  to-  teach,  he  communicated  to  his  pupils 
the  lessons  of  wisdom  and  experience,  in  a  style  of 
eloquence  at  once  simple,  dignified,  and  interesting. 

As  an  author,  Dr.  Bard  deserves  and  holds  no 
humble  station.  Though  he  did  not  aspire  to  the  am 
bition  of  being  distinguished  as  an  author,  yet  his 
writings  are  distinguished  for  purity  and  rich  clas 
sical  taste. 

His  work  on  Midwifery  has  already  passed  through 
six  editions,  and  no  doubt  will  long  perpetuate  the 
name  and  reputation  of  its  author. 


BURR,  AARON,  DD.  a  learned  divine,  and  pre 
sident  of  Princeton  college,  New-Jersey,  was  born 
in  the  year  1714,  at  Fairfield,  Connecticut.  He 
was  graduated  at  Yale  college,  in  1735.  In  1742 
he  was  invited  to  take  the  pastoral  charge  of  the 
presbyterian  church  at  Newark.  Here  he  became 
so  eminent  as  an  able  and  learned  divine,  and  an 
accomplished  scholar,  that  in  1748,  he  was  unani 
mously  elected  President  of  the  college,  (which 
he  was  instrumental  in  founding,)  as  successor  to 
Mr.  Dickinson.  The  college  was  removed  about 
this  time  from  Elizabeth-Town  to  Newark,  and  in 
1757  to  Princeton.  The  flourishing  state  of  this 
institution  is  much  owing  to  his  great  and  assiduous 
exertions.  By  his  influence  with  the  legislature, 
he  got  the  charter  enlarged  in  1746.  In  1748  the 


L7 

lirst  year  of  his  presidency,  the  iirst  class  was  gra 
duated. 

He  presided  over  the  college  with  great  dignity, 
and  possessed  a  happy  manner  in  communicating 
his  sentiments.  In  the  pulpit  he  shone  with  supe 
rior  lustre  ;  he  was  fluent,  copious,  sublime,  and 
persuasive.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  public 
spirit ;  he  had  a  high  sense  of  English  liberty,  and 
detested  despotic  power  as  the  bane  of  human  hap 
piness.  He  considered  the  heresy  of  Arius  or  So- 
einus  as  not  more  fatal  to  the  purity  of  the  gospel, 
than  the  positions  of  Filmer  to  the  dignity  of  man 
and  the  repose  of  states. 

In  1752  he  married  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Jonathan 
Edwards,  his  successor  in  the  presidency  of  the 
college,  by  whom  he  had  two  children,  one  of 
which  was  Aaron  Burr,  late  vice-president  of  the 
United  States.  After  a  life  of  usefulness,  devoted 
to  his  Master  in  heaven,  he  was  called  into  the 
eternal  world,  September  24,  1757.  He  published 
a  valuable  treatise,  entitled,  the  Supreme  Deity  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  besides  sermons. 


BRADFORD,  WILLIAM,  second  governor  of  Ply 
mouth  colony,  and  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  New- 
England,  was  born  in  the  North  of  England,  in 
.1588.  He  left  England  and  proceeded  to  Amster 
dam  to  enjoy  peace  of  conscience.  After  a  resi 
dence  there  of  ten  years,  he  joined  the  church  at 
Leyden,  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Robinson,  who  had 
agreed  to  transport  themselves  to  America.  They 
reached  Plymouth  in  1620  ;  in  the  following  year 
governor  Carver  died,  and  Mr.  Bradford  was  elect 
ed  governor  in  his  place.  Governor  Bradford  was 
most  conspicuous  for  wisdom,  fortitude,  piety,  and 
benevolence.  In  those  times,  when  their  souls  were 
tried  with  every  difficulty,  he  was  not  cast  down 


IB 

with  the  discouraging  state  of  their  affairs,  or  by 
the  clouds  which  covered  their  future  prospects. 

The  original  government  of  Plymouth  was  found 
ed  entirely  upon  mutual  compact,  entered  into  by 
the  planters  before  they  landed,  and  was  intended 
to  continue  no  longer  than  till  they  could  obtain 
legal  authority  from  their  sovereign.  The  first  pa 
tent  was  obtained  for  the  colony  in  the  name  of 
John  Peirce ;  but  another  patent  was  obtained  of 
the  council  for  New-England,  Jan.  13,  1630,  in 
the  name  of  William  Bradford,  his  heirs,  associates, 
and  assigns,  which  confirmed  the  title  of  the  colo 
nists  to  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  gave  them  power 
to  make  all  laws  not  repugnant  to  the  laws  of  Eng 
land.  For  several  of  the  first  years  after  the  first 
settlement  of  Plymouth,  the  legislative,  executive, 
and  judicial  business  was  performed  by  the  whole 
body  of  freemen  in  assembly. 

In  1634,  the  governor  and  assistants,  the  number 
of  whom  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Bradford,  had  been 
increased  to  five  in  1624,  and  to  seven  in  1633, 
were  constituted  a  judicial  court,  and  afterwards 
the  supreme  judicature.  Petty  offences  were  tried 
by  the  selectmen  of  each  town,  with  liberty  of  ap 
peal  to  the  next  court  of  assistants.  The  first  as 
sembly  of  representatives  was  held  in  1639,  when 
two  deputies  were  sent  from  each  town,  excepting 
Plymouth,  which  sent  four.  In  1649,  this  inequality 
was  done  away.  Such  was  the  reputation  of  Mr. 
Bradford,  that  for  thirty  years  the  people  placed 
him  at  the  head  of  the  government.  He  died  May 
9,  1657. 

Governor  Bradford  wrote  a  history  of  Plymouth- 
people  and  colony,  beginning  with  the  first  forma 
tion  of  the  church  in  1602,  and  ending  with  1646. 
It  was  contained  in  a  folio  volume  of  270  pages. 
Martin's  Memorial  is  an  abridgment  of  it. 


19 

BRADFORD,  WILLIAM,  attorney  general  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Septem 
ber  14,  1755;  and  was  graduated -at  Princeton 
college  in  1772.  He  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law  under  Edward  Shippen,  Esq.  late  chief  justice 
of  Pennsylvania ;  and  prosecuted  his  studies  with 
unwearied  application.  In  1776  he  joined  the 
standard  of  his  country,  and  fought  in  defence  of 
her  rights.  In  1779  he  recommenced  the  study  of 
the  law,  and  in  September  following  was  admit 
ted  to  the  bar  of  the  supreme  court  of  Pennsyl 
vania.  In  1780  he  was  appointed  attorney  general 
of  the  state. 

In  1784  he  married  the  daughter  of  Elias  Boudi- 
not,  of  New- Jersey,  with* whom  he  lived  in  the  ex 
ercise  of  every  domestic  virtue,  that  adorns  human 
nature.  In  1791  he  was  appointed  by  governor 
Mifflin,  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  Pennsylva 
nia.  Here  he  had  determined  to  spend  a  consider 
able  part  of  his  life ;  but  on  the  promotion  of  Mr. 
Edmund  Randolph  to  the  office  of  secretary  of 
state,  as  successor  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  he  was  urged 
by  various  public  considerations  to  accept  the  office 
of  attorney  general  of  the  United  States,  now  left 
vacant.  He  accordingly  received  the  appointment 
January  28,  1794.  He  continued  only  a  short  time 
in  this  station,  to  which  he  was  elevated  by  Wash 
ington.  He  died  August  23,  1795.  He  published 
in  1793,  an  Inquiry  how  far  the  Punishment  of 
Death  is  necessary  in  Pennsylvania;  with  notes 
and  illustrations. 


BOYLSTOX,  ZABDIEL,  F.  R.  S.  an  eminent  phy 
sician,  was  born  in  Brookline,  Massachusetts, 
1684.  In  the  year  1721,  when  the  small  pox  was 
raging  in  Boston,  at  the  recommendation  of  Dr. 
Cotton  Mather,  he  was  the  first  who  introduced 


20 

the  inoculation  of  the  small  pox  into  America, 
at  the  risk  of  his  reputation  and  life.  He  visited 
England  in  1725,  and  was  received  with  the  most 
flattering  attention,  and  was  admitted  to  the  inti 
macy  and  friendship  of  some  of  the  most  distin 
guished  characters  of  that  nation.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  royal  society.  He  had  the  plea 
sure  of  seeing  inoculation  universally  practised,  and 
of  knowing  that  he  w7as  himself  considered  as  one 
of  the  benefactors  of  mankind.  He  died  March  1, 
1766.  Dr.  Boylston  published  several  communica 
tions  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions ;  some  ac 
count  of  inoculation,  or  transplanting  the  small  pox, 
by  the  learned  Dr.  E.  Timonius  and  J.  Pylarinus  ; 
also  an  historical  account  of  the  small  pox  inocu 
lation  in  New-England. 


BOYLSTON,  NICHOLAS,  a  benefactor  of  Harvard 
college.  He  had  been  an  eminent  merchant,  and 
was  about  to  retire  from  business  to  enjoy  the  fruit 
of  his  industry,  when  he  was  removed  from  this 
earth,  August  18,  1771.  He  bequeathed  to  Har 
vard  college  1,500  pounds,  for  laying  the  foundation 
of  a  professorship  of  rhetoric  and  oratory.  This 
sum  was  paid  into  the  college  treasury  by  his  ex 
ecutors,  Feburary  11,  1772.  And  the  fund  accumu 
lated  to  23,200  dollars,  before  any  appropriation 
was  made.  The  hon.  John  Quincy  Adams,  son  of 
president  Adams,  and  at  that  time  a  senator  of  the 
United  States,  was  installed  the  first  professor, 
June  12,  1806,  with  the  title  of  "the  Boylston  pro- 
fressor  of  rhetoric  and  oratory  in  Harvard  college.'' 


BOWDOIN,  JAMES,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  phi 
losopher  and  statesman,  was  born  in  Boston,  Au 
gust  18,  1727.  He  was  graduated  at  Harvard  col 
lege  in  1745.  In  1756  he  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  council,  where  his  learning  and  eloquence 
soon  rendered  him  conspicuous.  He  early  es 
poused  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  advocated 
her  rights  with  great  ability  and  patriotism.  In 
1770,  the  people  of  Boston  elected  him  their  re 
presentative.  He  was  likewise  one  of  the  committee 
that  drew  the  answer  to  the  governor's  speeches, 
where  he  asserted  and  endeavoured  to  prove,  by 
strong  arguments,  the  right  of  Great  Britain  to  tax 
America.  By  this  he  had  the  honour  of  being 
negatived  by  governor  Gage,  in  1774,  who  declar 
ed  that  "he  had  express  orders  from  his  majesty  to 
set  aside  that  board,  the  hon.  Mr.  Bowdoin,  Mr. 
Dexter,  and  Mr.  Winthrop."  During  this  memor 
able  year  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  meet  at 
Philadelphia,  which  was  the  first  congress  of  the 
United  States,  but  was  prevented  from  attending 
his  duty  by  his  ill  state  of  health.  Mr.  Hancock 
was  afterwards  chosen  in  his  place.  He  was  next 
chosen  president  of  the  council  of  Massachusetts ; 
which  office  he  held  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  till 
the  adoption  of  the  state  constitution  in  1780.  He 
was  president  of  the  convention  which  formed  it ; 
and  some  of  its  most  important  articles  are  the  re 
sult  of  his  knowledge  of  government.  During  the 
years  of  1785  and  1786,  he  was  elected  governor 
of  the  state.  At  this  eventful  period,  by  his  firm 
ness  and  inflexible  integrity,  for  which  he  was  con 
spicuous,  he  quelled  the  dangerous  insurrection  of 
Shays,  which  threatened  a  subversion  of  the  con 
stitution.  By  this  decisive  step  he  rescued  the 
government  from  contempt  into  which  it  was  sink 
ing,  and  was  the  means  of  saving  the  common 
wealth.  When  the  constitution  was  planned,  and 
the  Massachusetts  convention  met  to  consider 
whether  it  should  be  adopted,  Mr.  Bowdoin  was 


nt  the  head  of  the  Boston  delegation,  all  of  whom 
voted  in  favour  of  it.  He  made  a  very  handsome 
speech  upon  the  occasion,  which  may  be  read  in 
the  volume  of  their  debates.  From  this  time  he 
changed  the  tumult  of  public  scenes  for  domestic 
peace,  and  the  satisfactions  of  study.  Governor 
Bowdoin  was  a  learned  man,  and  a  constant  arid 
generous  friend  of  literature.  When  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  was  instituted,  he 
was  appointed  the  first  president,  and  continued 
in  that  office  till  his  death.  He  was  esteemed  by 
its  members  as  the  pride  and  ornament  of  their  in 
stitution.  To  this  institution  he  left  his  valuable 
library  and  one  hundred  pounds.  His  literary  at 
tainments  were  not  confined  to  his  own  country. 
He  was  a  member  of  several  foreign  societies.  He 
received  a  diploma  of  doctor  of  laws  from  several 
of  the  universities  in  Europe,  and  from  Philadel 
phia,  as  well  as  his  alma  mater  at  Cambridge.  To 
this  institution  he  was  a  munificent  friend.  His 
charities  were  abundant.  He  was  an  exemplary 
Christian :  for  more  than  30  years  he  was  a  mem 
ber  of  Brattle-street  church.  He  died  universally 
lamented,  November  6,  1790.  He  published  a 
philosophical  discourse,  publicly  addressed  to  the 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  in  Bos 
ton,  November  8,  1780,  when  he  was  inducted 
into  the  office  of  president.  This  is  prefixed  to 
the  first  volume  of  the  memoirs  of  the  academy. 
In  this  work  he  also  published  several  philosophi 
cal  papers.  His  letters  to  Dr.  Franklin  have  also 
been  published. 


BENEZET,  ANTHONY,  a  distinguished  philanthro 
pist,  was  born  January  31,  1713.  He  was  bred  a 
merchant,  but  being  desirous  of  engaging  in  a  pur 
suit  which  was  not  so  adapted  to  excite  a  worldly 


23 

spirit,  and  which  would  afford  him  more  leisure  for 
the  duties  of  religion,  and  for  the  exercise  of  that 
benevolent  spirit,  for  which,  during  the  course  of  a 
long  life  he  was  so  conspicuous;  he  accepted,  in 
1742,  the  appointment  of  instructer  in  the  Friends' 
English  school  of  Philadelphia,  which  place  he  con 
tinued  to  fill  till  about  two  years  before  his  death. 
The  last  two  years  of  his  life  he  spent  in  the  in 
struction  of  the  blacks.  In  doing  this  he  did  not 
consult  his  worldly  interest,  but  was  influenced  by  a 
regard  to  the  welfare  of  that  miserable  class  of  be 
ings,  whose  minds  had  been  debased  by  servitude. 
He  wished  to  contribute  something  towards  render 
ing  them  fit  for  the  enjoyment  of  that  freedom,  to 
which  many  of  them  had  been  restored. 

This  amiable  man  seemed  to  have  nothing  else  at 
heart  but  the  good  of  his  fellow  creatures ;  and  the 
last  act  of  his  life  was  to  take  from  his  desk  six 
dollars  for  a  poor  widow. 

Regarding  all  mankind  as  children  of  one  com 
mon  father,  and  members  of  one  great  family,  he  was 
anxious  that  oppression  and  tyranny  should  cease, 
and  that  men  should  live  together  in  mutual  kind 
ness  and  affection. 

His  writings  contributed  much  towards  ameliora 
ting  the  condition  of  slaves. 

In  1767,  he  published  "  a  caution  to  Great  Britain 
and  her  colonies,"  in  a  short  representation  of  the 
calamitous  state  of  the  enslaved  negroes  in  the  Bri 
tish  dominions. 

In  1772,  he  published  an  historical  account  of 
Guinea,  with  an  inquiry  into  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  slave  trade,  its  nature  and  lamentable  effects. 
He  died  May  4,  1784. 


BERNARD,  FRANCIS,  governor  of  Massachusetts. 
The  commencement  of  his  administration  was  fa- 


24 

vourable;  but  it  soon  became  obnoxious.    In  1764, 
restraints  were  laid  upon  the  trade  of  the  planta 
tions  by  certain  acts  of  the  parliament  of  Great 
Britain,  which  were  succeeded  by  a  direct  tax  upon 
the  colonies.     This  and  the  stamp  act  was  remon 
strated  against  by  the  people,  as  measures  to  which 
they  would  never  submit.     As  soon  as  the  acts  had 
passed,  and  was  known  in  America,  a  spirit  of  re 
sentment  was  roused  which  menaced  every  man  in 
power,  and  alienated  the  affections  of  the  colonists 
from  a  country,  to  which  they  had  hitherto  looked 
with  reverence  as  the  land  of  their  fathers.     The 
governor  who  had  heretofore  showed  his  disposi 
tion  in  several  instances  to  treat  the  people  with 
contempt,  and  to  be  unfriendly  to  the  colonies,  now 
openly  avowed  his  sentiments,  and  began  to  put  in 
force  the  enactments  of  parliament.     He  also  soli 
cited  the  ministry  to  send  troops  to  America,  to  put 
in  force  the  measures  of  parliament.     Troops  ac 
cordingly  arrived  in  1768.     From  this  time  his  con 
duct  was  reprobated ;  and  in  most  of  the  towns  in 
the  province  he  was  published  in  the  newspapers, 
and  was  declared  an  enemy  and  a  traitor  to  the 
country. 

In  August  following,  he   dissolved  the  general 
assembly,  finding  them  not  subservient  to  his  will. 

His  administration  had  now  become  so  odious, 
burdensome,  and  vexatious,  that  a  petition  to  the 
king  was  forwarded,  requesting  his  dismission.  But 
there  were  little  hopes,  that  this  wish  would  be 
granted,  as  his  administration  was  the  subject  of 
much  praise  at  the  court  of  Great  Britain,  and  his 
services  had  now  been  rewarded  by  the  title  of  ba 
ronet  :  however,  shortly  after  receiving  this  title,  he 
obtained  permission  to  return  to  England.  Accord 
ingly,  in  1769,  he  sailed  from  Boston,  and  never 
again  returned  to  the  province. 


25 

BACKUS,  ISAAC,  a  learned  divine  and  historian, 
was  born  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  January  20, 
1724;  was  ordained  over  a  congregational  church  in 
Middleborough,  Massachusetts,  1748;  and  after 
wards  became  a  convert  to  the  sentiments  of  the  an- 
tepedobaptists,  1756.  A  baptist  church  was  formed 
January  16,  1756,  and  he  was  installed  its  pastor 
June  23,  of  the  same  year,  by  ministers  from  Boston 
and  Rehoboth :  he  was  continued  its  pastor  until  his 
d^ath,  in  the  year  1806. 

The  town  of  Middleborough  chose  him  one  of 
their  delegates  in  the  convention,  which  adopted 
the  federal  constitution ;  on  which  occasion  he  made 
a  speech  in  its  favour. 

The  baptist  church  of  America  owe  not  a  little  of 
their  present  flourishing  condition  to  his  exertions. 

In  1796,  he  completed  his  church  history  of  New- 
England,  in  three  volumes,  which  he  afterwards 
abridged,  and  brought  it  down  to  1804.  This  work 
contains  many  facts,  and  much  important  informa 
tion.  His  other  works  consist  of  sermons,  essays, 
and  controversial  pieces.  He  also  wrote  a  history 
of  Middleborough,  which  is  published  in  a  third 
volume  of  the  collections  of  the  Massachusetts  His 
torical  Societv. 


BELLAMY,  JOSEPH,  DD.  a  learned  divine,  was 
born  at  New-Cheshire,  Connecticut,  about  the  year 
1719,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1735. 

He  soon  after  commenced  the  study  of  divinity, 
and  became  a  preacher  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  In 
1740,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  a  church  at  Beth 
lehem,  in  the  town  of  Woodbury. 

About  the  year  1750,  he  published  an  excellent 
treatise,  entitled,  True  Religion  Delineated;  and 
from  this  time  he  became  very  conspicuous  in  pre 
paring  young  men  for  the  gospel  ministry.  In  this 

4  " 


26 

branch  of  his  work  he  was  eminently  useful  till  the 
decline  of  life,  when  he  relinquished  it. 

In  1786,.  he  was  seized  with  a  paralytic  affection, 
from  which  he  never  recovered.  He  died  March  6, 
1790,  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his  ministry,  and  seventy 
second  year  of  his  age. 

As  a  preacher,  he  had  perhaps  no  superior;  and 
in  a  variety  of  respects  he  shone  with  distinguished 
lustre.  Extensive  science,  and  ease  of  communi 
cating  his  ideas,  rendered  him  one  of  the  best  in 
structed.  His  writings  procured  him  the  esteem  of 
the  pious  and  learned,  at  home  and  abroad,  with 
many  of  whom  he  maintained  an  epistolary  corres 
pondence.  In  his  preaching,  a  mind  rich  in  thought, 
a  great  command  of  language,  and  a  powerful  voice, 
rendered  his  extemporary  discourses  peculiarly  ac 
ceptable.  He  was  one  of  the  ablest  divines  of  this 
country.  In  his  sentiments  he  accorded  with  presi 
dent  Edwards,  with  whom  he  was  intimately  ac 
quainted.  His  writings  are  published  in  three 
volumes  octavo, 


BELKNAP,  JEREMY,  DD.  eminent  as  a  divine  and 
historian,  was  born  in  Boston,  June  4,  1744.  He 
was  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1762.  He  early 
exhibited  marks  of  genius  and  talents,  which  pre 
dicted  his  future  celebrity.  In  1767,  he  was  or 
dained  pastor  of  the  church  in  Dover,  New-Hamp 
shire,  over  which  he  presided  near  twenty  years  of 
his  life,  with  the  esteem  and  affection  of  his  flock, 
and  respected  by  the  first  characters  of  the  state. 

In  1787,  he  removed  to  Boston,  and  was  installed 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Federal-street.  Here  he  pass 
ed  the  remainder  of  his  days,  discharging  the  duties 
of  his  pastoral  office,  exploring  various  fields  of  lite 
rature,  and  giving  efficient  support  to  every  useful 
and  benevolent  institution.  He  was  one  of  the 


27 

founders  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
the  design  of  which  was  to  collect  and  preserve  ma 
nuscripts,  and  bring  together  the  materials  for  illus 
trating  the  history  of  our  country.  He  was  also  a 
member  of  several  humane  and  literary  societies. 
He  ably  advocated  our  republican  forms  of  govern 
ment,  and  wrote  much  in  favour  of  freedom  and  his 
country. 

As  an  author,  no  one  has  been  more  justly  cele 
brated  on  this  side  the  Atlantic.  He  published  a 
history  of  New-Hampshire,  in  three  volumes,  writ 
ten  in  a  very  handsome  style.  The  Foresters,  a 
work  which  mingles  wit  and  humour,  with  a  repre 
sentation  of  the  manners  of  the  American  people. 
The  American  Biography,  in  two  volumes,  a  monu 
ment  of  his  talents,  industry,  and  knowledge.  It  is 
much  to  be  regretted  he  did  not  live  to  complete 
this  work,  for  which  the  public  voice  pronounced 
him  peculiarly  qualified.  He  also  published  sermons, 
and  a  number  of  essays  upon  the  African  trade ;  civil 
and  religious  liberty ;  upon  the  state  and  settlement 
of  this  country;  and  a  discourse  delivered  at  the  re 
quest  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Massachusetts, 
He -died  suddenly,  June  20,  1798, 


BARTRAM,  JOHN,  a  celebrated  botanist,  was  born 
near  the  town  of  Darby,  Pennsylvania,  about  the 
year  1701. 

This  self-taught  genius  early  discovered  an  ar 
dent  desire  for  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  espe 
cially  of  natural  history  and  botany.  In  this  latter 
science  he  made  so  much  proficiency,  that  Linnseus 
pronounced  him  "the  greatest  natural  botanist  in 
the  world." 

His  attainments  in  natural  history  attracted  the 
esteem  of  the  most  distinguished  men  in  America 


-J8 

and  Europe,  and  be  corresponded  with  many  of 
them. 

He  was  the  first  American  who  conceived  and 
carried  into  effect  the  design  of  a  botanic  garden, 
for  the  cultivation  of  American  plants,  as  well  as 
exotics.  For  this  purpose  he  purchased  a  fine  si 
tuation  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  about  five 
miles  from  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  laid 
out  a  large  garden,  and  filled  it  with  a  variety  of  the 
most  curious  and  beautiful  vegetables,  collected  in 
his  excursions  from  Canada  to  Florida. 

His  ardour  in  these  pursuits  was  such,  that  at  the 
age  of  seventy  he  made  a  journey  into  East  Flo 
rida,  to  explore  its  natural  productions.  By  his 
means  the  gardens  of  Europe  were  enriched  with 
elegant  flowering  shrubs,  with  plants  and  trees,  col 
lected  in  different  parts  of  our  country,  from  the 
shore  of  lake  Ontario,  to  the  source  of  the  river  St. 
Juan. 

He  was  elected  a  member  of  several  of  the  most 
eminent  societies  and  academies  in  Europe,  and 
was  at  length  appointed  American  botanist  to  his 
Britannic  majesty,  George  III.  which  appointment 
he  held  till  his  death,  which  happened  September 
3d,  1777,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

Several  of  Mr.  Bartram's  communications  in 
zoology  were  published  in  the  Philosophical  Trans 
actions,  between  the  years  1743  and  1749.  He 
published  observations  on  the  inhabitants,  climate, 
soil,  &c.  made  in  his  travels  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Onondago — London,  1 751 :  description  of  East  Flo 
rida,  4to.  1774. 


BARTRAM,  WILLIAM,  F.  R.  S.  an  eminent  bota 
nist,  and  son  of  the  preceding,  was  born  near  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  April  20,  1739.  From  his 
childhood  he  had  a  taste  for  observing  and  collecting 


29 

plants,  and  when  only  eleven  years  of  age,  volun 
teered  to  accompany  his  father  in  one  of  his  tours 
through  the  uninhabited  parts  of  the  southern  states, 
in  search  of  non-descript  vegetable  productions  and 
fossils. 

After  his  return  to  Pennsylvania,  he  was  sent  to 
the  college  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  diligently 
pursued  his  studies  until  his  sixteenth  year,  at 
which  time  he  was  placed  with  a  merchant.  He 
soon  however  abandoned  mercantile  pursuits  for 
others  more  congenial  to  his  mind.  Botany  and 
natural  history  were  his  favourite  studies,  and  in 
these  he  soon  made  great  proficiency,  insomuch, 
that  in  a  few  years  his  fame  had  reached  the  con 
tinent,  and  spread  throughout  Europe. 

The  important  discoveries  he  made  had  no  sooner 
reached  England,  than  he  was  employed  by  Dr. 
Fothergill,  and  several  other  eminent  naturalists, 
to  make  a  tour  of  discovery  through  the  Carolinas, 
Georgia,  and  the  Floridas,  and  to  communicate  to 
them  whatever  was  new  and  interesting  in  natural 
science.  The  result  of  these  travels,  so  creditable 
to  his  eminent  acquirements,  he  afterwards  pub 
lished  in  a  thick  octavo  volume. 

Mr.  Bartram  now  retired  to  the  enchanting  spot, 
and  took  charge  of  the  celebrated  gardens  com 
menced  by  his  father  on  the  Schuylkill,  near  Phi 
ladelphia.  To  these  he  devoted  the  whole  of  his 
attention,  and  year  after  year  enriched  it  with  va- 
.  luable  plants  from  both  hemispheres.  Here  he 
also  pursued  his  researches  into  nature,  and  form 
ed,  for  future  celebrity,  the  mind  of  the  celebrated 
author  of  the  American  Ornithology. 

In  1792,  after  the  junction  of  the  two  rival  facul 
ties  of  medicine  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Bartram  was 
unanimously  elected  to  the  chair  of  Botany  and 
Natural  History  in  the  university  of  Pennsylvania. 
This  honour,  however,  he  declined,  and  it  was  after 
wards  conferred  on  the  late  eminent  naturalist  Dr. 
B.  S.  Barton. 


30 

Mr.  Bartram  had  the  honour  of  being  a  member 
of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  of  Phila 
delphia,  as  well  as  of  most  of  the  learned  and  scien 
tific  societies  of  Europe. 

Mr.  Bartram  ended  a  life  of  usefulness  and 
celebrity,  and  quietly  sunk  into  the  arms  of  death, 
at  his  favourite  retreat  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuyl- 
kill,  July  22,  18£3,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
five  years. 

Besides  "Travels  through  the  Carolinas,  Geor 
gia,  and  the  Floridas,"  Mr.  Bartram  published  a 
"  Table  of  American  Ornithology,"  "  Tracts  and 
Observations  on  Natural  History,  and  newly  dis 
covered  Plants." 

Besides  numerous  communications  to  the  Ame 
rican  Philosophical  Society,  which  have  been  pub 
lished  in  their  "  Transactions." 

The  manuscripts  and  correspondence  of  the  fa 
ther  and  son,  if  published,  would  form  a  curious 
and  interesting  volume ;  and  we  sincerely  hope,  for 
the  cause  of  science,  their  labours  will  ere  long  be 
given  to  the  world  by  some  lover  of  science. 


BARLOW,  JOEL,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  poet, 
was  born  at  Reading,  Connecticut,  about  the  year 
1755.  At  an  early  age  he  was  placed  at  Dart 
mouth  college,  and  after  a  sliort  residence  there, 
he  removed  to  Yale  college,  and  graduated  with 
distinguished  reputation  for  scholarship. 

On  this  occasion  he  appeared  before  the  public, 
for  the  first  time,  as  a  poet.  On  leaving  college, 
he  received  the  appointment  of  a  chaplaincy  to 
the  American  army,  and  continued  with  it  during 
the  whole  period  of  the  revolutionary  war.  It  was 
in  the  camp  that  he  planned  and  composed  the 
"  Vision  of  Columbus." 


JOELBAKLOW  ESQ 


f  Y  "K '*  ^*  ~t  *?  "5"^  1  "*    ^    T   ^  T/* 

U  Is  i  V  ,^  11  oil* 


31 

In  1781,  he  took  the  degree  of  M.  A.  and  pub 
lished  the  "Prospect  of  Peace,"  a  poem. 

In  1783,  on  the  disbandonment  of  the  army,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  settled  in 
Hartford. 

In  1787,  he  published  the  "Vision  of  Columbus," 
and  in  the  following  year,  embarked  for  Europe  in 
the  capacity  of  agent  of  the  Scioto  Land  Com 
pany. 

At  London  he  published  the  "Advice  to  the  Pri 
vileged  Orders :"  and  this  was  soon  after  followed 
by  the  "  Conspiracy  of  Kings,"  a  poem. 

All  of  these  publications  procured  him  some 
profit  and  much  notoriety. 

Towards,  the  end  of  the  year  1792,  the  London 
Constitutional  Society,  of  which  he  was  a  member, 
voted  an  address  to  the  French  National  Conven 
tion,  and  Mr.  Barlow  and  another  member,  were  de 
puted  to  present  it.  He  was  received  in  France  with 
great  respect,  and  they  conferred  on  him  the 
rights  of  a  French  citizen. 

During  his  stay  in  Paris,  he  translated  "Vol- 
ney's  Ruins." 

In  the  year  1795,  he  received  the  appointment 
of  American  consul  at  Algiers,  with  powers  to  ne 
gotiate  a  treaty,  and  to  redeem  all  American  cap 
tives.  He  hastened  to  Algiers,  concluded  a  treaty, 
as  well  also  with  the  Tripolitan  powers ;  sent  home 
the  American  prisoners,  and  afterwards  returned 
to  Paris,  and  resigned  his  consulship. 

He  then  engaged  in  commercial  pursuits,  by 
which  he  acquired  an  independent  fortune,  and  re 
turned  to  America  in  1805. 

He  selected  Washington  as  his  place  of  resi 
dence,  and  purchased  a  handsome  seat,  where  he 
lived  in  an  elegant  and  hospitable  manner,  associ 
ating  on  the  most  familiar  terms  with  the  president 
and  other  distinguished  characters. 

His  leisure  hours  he  devoted  to  literature  and 
science,  and  in  preparing  for  the  press  the  "Co- 


lumbiad,"    which    he    afterwards   published    in    a 
magnificent  style. 

In  1809,  he  received  several  literary  honours,  and 
among  others  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 

About  this  period,  he  began  to  collect  historical 
documents  for  a  general  history  of  the  United 
States,  a  work  he  had  long  meditated,  and  was 
admirably  well  qualified  to  execute. 

In  the  midst  of  these  pursuits,  he  was  appointed 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  France.  He  arrived  at 
Paris  in  the  summer  of  1811,  and  applied  himself 
with  great  diligence  in  effecting  the  object  of  his 
mission,  but  was  foiled  in  every  attempt. 

He  was  finally  invited  to  a  conference  with  the 
emperor  at  Wilna. 

He  immediately  set  off  for  this  place,  travelling 
night  and  day.  Overcome  by  too  much  exertion 
and  fatigue,  he  rapidly  sunk  into  a  state  of  ex 
treme  debility  and  torpor,  and  suddenly  expired 
at  Zarnawica,  an  obscure  village  in  Poland,  on  the 
night  of  the  22d  of  December,  1812. 

Mr.  Barlow  wras  in  private  life  of  an  amiable 
disposition  and  domestic  habits. 

As  an  author,  his  writings  will  always  command 
admiration,  and  rank  high  with  the  literature  of 
this  country. 

The  "Columbiad"  was  the  work  of  half  of  his 
life — conceived  and  planned  in  the  ardour  of 
youth,  and  corrected,  polished,  and  enlarged  after 
his  mind  had  been  aroused  and  invigorated  with 
various  forms  of  nature,  with  books,  and  with 
men. 


BARTON,  BENJAMIN  SMITH,  M.  D.  a  learned  phy 
sician,  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  Fe 
bruary  10,  1766. 

At  a  very  early  period  of  his  life  he  was  very  stu 
dious,  and  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  the  acqui- 


33 

sition  of  knowledge,   particularly  the  branches  of 
civil  and  natural  history  and  botany. 

After  completing  his  collegiate  studies,  he  com 
menced  the  study  of  medicine  with  the  late  Dr.  Ship- 
pen,  and  while  yet  a  pupil,  he  accompanied  his  uncle, 
Mr.  Rittenhouse,  the  celebrated  astronomer,  and 
the  other  commissioners,  in  running  the  boundary 
line  of  Pennsylvania.  It  was  during  this  excursion 
that  he  first  turned  his  attention  to  the  manners, 
history,  medicines,  pathology,  and  other  interest 
ing  points  of  inquiry  of  the  savage  natives  of  this 
country. 

His  researches  on  these  subjects,  are  among  the 
most  ingenious,  if  not  the  most  useful  of  his  labours. 

In  1786,  he  embarked  for  England,  with  a  view 
of  prosecuting  his  medical  studies  at  the  university 
of  Edinburgh. 

At  Edinburgh  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Medical  Society,  and  for  his  dissertation  on 
the  Hyosciamus  niger,  of  Linnseus,  he  obtained  the 
Harveian  prize. 

He  afterwards  studied  at  the  celebrated  universi 
ty  at  Gottingen,  and  graduated. 

After  an  absence  of  three  years,  he  returned  to 
Philadelphia,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  physic. 

In  1790,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Ameri 
can  Philosophical  Society,  and  in  1802,  he  was 
chosen  one  of  its  vice-presidents,  which  office  he 
held  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  1789,  he  was  unanimously  elected  professor 
of  natural  history  and  botany,  in  the  college  of 
Philadelphia. 

In  1795,  he  succeeded  Dr.  Griffiths  in  the  pro 
fessorship  of  materia  medica,  in  the  university  of 
Pennsylvania. 

On  the  demise  of  Dr.  Rush,  he  was  elected  to  the 
chair  which  had  been  filled  by  him,  which,  together 
with  that  of  natural  history  and  botany,  he  held  un 
til  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  1815,  he  embarked  for  France,  on  account 


34 

of  his  health,  and  returned  the  November  follow 
ing,  but  was  spared  only  long  enough  to  receive  the 
visits  of  his  friends,  and  suddenly  expired  on  the 
morning  of  the  19th  of  December,  1815. 

The  genius  of  Dr.  Barton  was  of  a  high  order — 
rapid,  comprehensive,  and  brilliant. 

As  a  professor,  he  was  eloquent  and  instructive ; 
and  as  a  writer,  he  was  ingenious,  rich  in  facts, 
profound  in  research,  and  always  abounding  in  use 
ful  information. 

As  a  physician,  he  discovered  a  mind  quick  in 
discriminating  diseases,  and  skilful  in  the  applica 
tion  of  appropriate  remedies. 

His  publications  on  the  antiquities,  natural  his 
tory,  and  botany  of  this  country,  are  numerous 
a.nd  valuable. 


BRAINERD,  DAVID,  an  eminent  preacher  and 
missionary  to  the  Indians,  was  born  at  Haddam, 
Connecticut,  April  20,  1718.  In  1739,  he  was  ad 
mitted  a  member  of  Yale  college.  In  1742,  after 
having  pursued  the  study  of  divinity  under  the  care 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mills,  he  was  licensed  to  preach. 
In  November  following  he  was  appointed  by  the 
Society  at  New- York  for  Propagating  Christian 
Knowledge,  a  missionary  to  the  Indians. 

On  the  1st  April,  1743,  he  arrived  at  Kaunamuk, 
an  Indian  village  in  Massachusetts,  and  commenc 
ed  his  labours  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  After 
preaching  to  them  some  time,  they  removed  to 
Stockbridge,  under  the  care  and  instruction  of  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Sergeant.  Mr.  Brainerd  then  turned  his 
attention  towards  the  Delaware  Indians.  In  1744, 
he  was  ordained  by  a  presbytery  at  Newark,  New- 
Jersey.  Soon  after,  he  entered  on  the  field  of  his 
labours  near  the  forks  of  the  Delaware,  in  Pennsyl 
vania.  After  a  year  of  hardships  and  fruitless  ex- 


85 

ertions,  he  then  made  a  visit  to  the  Indians  at  Cros- 
weeksung*  near  Freehold,  New-Jersey.  At  this 
place  he  was  favoured  with  remarkable  success.  In 
less  than  a  year  he  baptized  70  persons.  In  the 
summer  of  1746,  he  visited  the  Indians  on  the 
Susquehannah,  and  was  eminently  useful,  convinc 
ing  hundreds,  and  converting  thousands  by  his  in 
strumentality.  On  his  return,  he  found  his  health 
so  much  impaired,  that  he  was  able  to  preach  but 
little  more.  After  taking  a  tour  for  his  health  as 
far  as  Boston,  in  the  spring  of  1747,  he  returned  in 
July  to  Northampton,  where,  in  the  family  of  Rev. 
Jonathan  Edwards,  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his 
days.  He  gradually  declined  till  October  9,  1747, 
when,  after  suffering  inexpressible  agony,  he  en 
tered  upon  that  rest  which  remaineth  for  the  faith 
ful  servants  of  God.  Thus  was  the  world  deprived 
of  a  patriot,  a  Christian,  and  a  saint.  No  human 
exertions  could  possibly  exceed  those  of  Brainerd. 
The  afflictions  he  encountered,  the  hardships  he 
underwent,  deterred  him  not  from  the  prosecution  of 
his  glorious  mission.  He  was  indeed  an  active  la 
bourer  in  the  vineyard ;  he  worked  while  it  was 
yet  day.  Nor  could  any  personal  sufferings,  any 
domestic  ties,  or  calls  of  friendship,  arrest  his  at 
tention  from  the  far  stronger  or  more  worthy  claims 
of  the  suffering  Indians.  President  Edwards,  whose 
opinion  of  Mr.  Brainerd  was  founded  upon  an  inti 
mate  acquaintance  with  him,  says,  "  that  he  never 
knew  his  equal,  of  his  age  and  standing,  for  clear, 
accurate  views  of  the  nature  and  essence  of  true 
religion,  and  its  distinctions  from  its  various  false 
appearances."  He  published  "  A  Narrative  of  his 
Labours  at  Kaunamuk."  "  A  Journal,  or  an  Ac 
count  of  his  Labours  among  the  Indians  of  New- 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania."  This  work  is  very  inter 
esting,  and  displays  the  piety  and  talents  of  the 
author.  President  Edwards  has  written  his  life, 
chiefly  compiled  from  his  diary. 


36 

BROWN,  ARTHUR,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  scho 
lar  and  eminent  barrister,  was  born  at  Newport. 
Rhode  Island.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent 
to  receive  his  education  at  Trinity  college,  Dublin ; 
where  he  remained  during  his  life.  He  was  made 
King's  professor  of  Greek,  as  well  as  civil  law.  He 
was  always  a  champion  of  the  people.  Shortly 
after  the  union  of  Ireland  with  Great  Britain,  he 
was  appointed  prime  sergeant.  He  died  in  1805. 
He  published  a  compend  of  civil  law.  Miscella 
neous  sketches  after  the  manner  of  Montaigne,  in 
2  vols. 


BAINBRIDGE,  WILLIAM,  a  commodore  in  the  Unit 
ed  States'  navy,  was  born  at  Princeton,  New-Jersey, 
on  the  7th  May,  1774.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
was  placed  in  a  counting-house  in  New-York;  but 
soon  after  he  removed  to  Philadelphia,  and  entered 
into  the  merchant  service.  From  the  year  1793  to 
'98,  he  commanded  merchant  ships  in  the  trade 
from  Philadelphia  to  Europe.  In  July,  1798,  he 
was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Unites  States' ^ 
schooner  Retaliation,  of  14  guns,  with  a  commis 
sion  as  lieutenant  and  commander  in  the  navy.  In 
1799,  he  received  a  commission  of  master-com 
mandant,  and  sailed  in  the  brig  Norfolk,  of  18 
guns,  on  a  second  cruise  against  the  French.  In 
1800  he  received  a  captain's  commission,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  frigate  George 
Washington,  in  which  he  afterwards  sailed  for  the 
Mediterranean.  On  his  return,  in  1801,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  frigate  Essex,  and  appointed  to 
accompany  the  squadron  which  was  sent  against 
Tripoli.  He  returned  to  New- York  in  1802,  and 
the  next  year  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  Philadelphia  frigate.  In  July  following,  he 
sailed  in  her  for  the  Mediterranean,  and  joined  the 
squadron  under  commodore  Preble.  In  August,  ho 


.of  tine  DimiltedL  States 


captured  two  Tripolitan  cruisers,  and  then  pro 
ceeded  to  blockade  the  harbour  of  Tripoli.  On 
the  31st  of  October,  he  gave  chase  to  an  armed 
ship,  and  finding  he  could  not  cut  her  out  from  the 
harbour,  gave  up  the  pursuit  and  hauled  northward ; 
but  unfortunately  ran  upon  rocks  about  four  miles 
and  a  half  from  the  town.  The  Tripolitan  gun 
boats  immediately  attacked  her,  and  after  sustain 
ing  the  enemy's  fire  between  five  and  six  hours,  he 
was  obliged  to  surrender  the  ship.  The  officers 
and  crew  were  immediately  put  in  confinement,  nor 
were  they  released  until  the  peace  of  the  3d  of  June, 
1805. 

Captain  Bainbridge  reached  the  United  States 
in  the  autumn  following,  and  the  reception  which 
he  met  from  his  country  was  such  as  to  satisfy  com 
pletely  the  feelings  of  a  meritorious  but  unfortunate 
officer. 

In  1806,  he  took  command  of  the  naval  station 
at  New-York.  In  1808, -he  was  appointed  to  take 
command  of  the  Portland  station. 

In  1809,  having  superintended  the  repairing  of 
the  frigate  President  at  Washington,  he  took  com 
mand  of  her,  and  cruised  on  our  coast  till  the  next 
spring,  when  he  obtained  a  furlough,  and  permis 
sion  from  the  navy  department  to  engage  in  the 
merchant  service. 

^  Having  returned  from  his  mercantile  pursuits,  in 
February,  1812,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  navy-yard  at  Charlestown,  Massachusetts. 
On  the  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Britain, 
he  was  appointed  to  command  the  frigate  Constel 
lation;  but  on  the  arrival  at  Boston  of  captain 
Hull,  after  his  victory  over  the  British  frigate  Guer- 
riere,  commodore  Bainbrige  was  permitted  to 
take  command  of  the  Constitution.  In  a  few  weeks 
he  sailed  on  a  cruise  to  the  East-Indies.  In  run 
ning  down  the  coast  of  Brazil,  on  the  29th  Decem 
ber,  he  discovered  a  strange  ship,  and  immediately 
made  sail  to  meet  her.  On  approaching  her,  it 


38 

proved  to  be  the  British  frigate  Java.  Commodore 
Bainbridge  immediately  closed  with  the  enemy, 
and  in  less  than  one  hour  and  fifty  minutes  he  com 
pelled  her  to  surrender.  The  decayed  state  of  the 
Constitution,  and  other  circumstances,  combining 
to  interfere  with  the  original  plan  of  the  cruise,  he 
afterwards  returned  to  the  United  States.  The 
arrangement,  however,  of  the  differences  of  the 
United  States  with  Great  Britain,  did  not  let  him 
remain  long  in  the  inaction  of  peace.  Having  su 
perintended  the  building  of  the  Independence,  a 
ship  of  74  guns,  he  had  the  honour  of  waving  his 
flag  on  board  the  first  line-of-battle  ship  belonging 
to  the  United  States  that  ever  floated.  He  was 
now  ordered  to  form  a  junction  with  commodore 
Decatur,  to  cruise  against  the  Barbary  powers,  who 
had  shown  a  disposition  to  plunder  our  commerce. 
In  company  with  his  own  squadron,  he  arrived  be 
fore  the  harbour  of  Carthagena,  where  he  learned 
that  commodore  Decatur  had  concluded  a  peace 
with  the  regency  of  Algiers.  He  now,  according 
to  his  instructions  presented  himself  before  Tripo 
li,  where  he  also  had  the  mortification  to  learn  that 
commodore  Decatur  had  shorn  him  of  his  expected 
laurels,  by  a  previous  visit.  He  now  effected  a  junc 
tion  with  commodore  Decatur's  squadron,  and  sail 
ed  for  the  United  States,  and  arrived  at  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  on  the  15th  November,  1815. 


BROWN,  NICHOLAS,  a  name  endeared  to  science 
and  literature,  was  an  eminent  merchant  of  Rhode 
Island.  He  died  at  Providence,  May  29, 1 791 ,  in  his 
62nd  year.  The  public  buildings  in  Providence, 
sacred  to  religion  and  science,  are  monuments  of 
his  liberalitv. 


BOOISE,  DANIEL,  the  first  settler  of  the  state  of 
Kentucky,  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Pennsylva 
nia,  about  the  year  1730.  At  the  age  of  .eighteen, 
he  left  his  native  place,  and  settled  in  the  state  of 
North  Carolina.  In  company  with  five  other  indi 
viduals,  he  left  that  province  in  1769,  and  jour 
neyed  as  far  as  the  Kentucky  river,  with  a  view  of 
settling  near  it.  He  settled  within  75  miles  of  the 
present  town  of  Frankfort,  where  he  built  a  stock 
ade  fort,  a  precaution  absolutely  necessary,  to  de 
fend  himself  from  the  attack  of  the  native  Indians. 
This  fort  was  afterwards  called  fort  Boonsborough; 
and  thus  was  formed  the  first  settlement  of  the 
state  of  Kentucky. 

In  the  year  1775,  he  conducted  his  wife  and 
daughters  to  his  new  establishment,  and  was  soon 
after  joined  by  other  families.  At  first  he  had  to 
contend  with  a  savage  foe,  and  after  several 
bloody  rencontres,  in  one  of  which  he  was  taken 
prisoner ;  and  after  enduring  sufferings  and  hard 
ships,  which  his  courage  and  constancy  surmount 
ed,  till  he  had  an  opportunity  of  making  peace 
with  his  enemies.  From  this  time  until  the  year 
1799,  he  spent  his  life  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and 
served  occasionally  his  countrymen  in  the  legisla 
ture  of  Virginia. 

Mr.  Boone  was  not,  however,  to  end  his  days 
amid  the  advantages  of  social  life.  After  his  courage 
and  constancy,  under  the  severest  trials  ;  after  his 
long  and  unremitting  labours,  in  perfecting  his  infant 
settlement;  after  rearing  and  providing  for  a  nu 
merous  family,  the  prop  of  his  old  age,  and  the 
pride  of  his  hoary  years,  which  now  entitled  him 
to  a  civic  crown,  and  to  the  gratitude  of  a  gener 
ous  people — he  suddenly  finds  that  he  is  possessed 
of  nothing ;  that  his  eyes  must  be  closed  without  a 
home,  and  that  he  must  be  an  outcast  in  his  gray 
hairs.  His  heart  is  torn,  his  feelings  are  lacerated 
by  the  chicanery  of  the  law,  which  deprives  him 
of  the  land  of  which  he  was  the  first  to  put  a 


40 

spade  in,  his  goods  sold:  Cut  to  the  soul,  with  u 
wounded  spirit,  he  still  showed  himself  an  extraor 
dinary  and  eccentric  man.  He  left  for  ever  the 
state,  in  which  he  had  been  the  first  to  introduce 
a  civilized  population — where  he  had  so  boldly 
maintained  himself  against  external  attacks,  and 
shown  himself  an  industrious  and  exemplary  citi 
zen  ;  where  he  found  no  white  man  when  he  sat 
himself  down  amid  the  ancient  woods,  and  left 
behind  him  half  a  million.  He  forsook  it  for 
ever;  no  entreaty  could  keep  him  within  its  bounds. 
Man,  from  whom  he  had  deserved  every  thing,  had 
persecuted  and  robbed  him  of  all.  He  bade  his 
friends  and  his  family  adieu  for  ever.  He  took  with 
him  his  rifle  and  a  few  necessaries,  and  crossing 
the  Ohio,  pursued  his  way  into  the  unknown  and 
immense  country  of  the  Missouri,  where  the  mon 
strous  mammoth  is  even  now  supposed  to  be  in 
existence.  In  1800  he  discovered  the  Boone's 
lick  country,  which  now  forms  one  of  the  best  set 
tlements  of  that  state. 

On  the  banks  of  the  Grand  Osage,  in  company 
with  his  son,  he  reared  his  rude  log  hut — around 
which  he  planted  a  few  esculent  vegetables — and 
his  principal  food,  he  obtained  by  hunting. — An 
exploring  traveller,  sometimes  crossing  the  way 
of  this  singular  man,  would  find  him  seated  at  the 
door  of  his  hut,  with  his  rifle  across  his  knees,  and 
his  faithful  dog  at  his  side ;  surveying  his  shrivel 
led  limbs,  and  lamenting  that  his  youth  and  man 
hood  were  gone,  but  hoping  his  legs  would  serve 
him  to  the  last  of  life,  to  carry  him  to  spots  fre 
quented  by  the  game,  that  he  might  not  starve.  In 
his  solitude  he  would  sometimes  speak  of  his  past 
actions,  and  of  his  indefatigable  labours,  with  a 
glow  of  delight  on  his  countenance,  that  indicated 
how  dear  they  were  to  his  heart,  and  would  then 
become  at  once  silent  and  dejected.  Thus  he 
passed  through  life  till  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
ninety,  when  death  suddenly  terminated  his  earthly 


41 

recollections  of  the  ingratitude  of  his  fellow  crea 
tures,  at  a  period  when  his  faculties,  though  he 
had  attained  such  an  age,  were  not  greatly  im 
paired,  September  26,  1820. 

Col.  Boone  was  a  man  of  common  stature,  of 
great  enterprise,  strong  intellect,  amiable  disposi 
tion,  and  inviolable  integrity. 

As  a  token  of  respect  and  regard  for  him,  both 
houses  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  state  of 
Missouri,  upon  information  of  his  death  being 
communicated,  resolved  to  wear  crape  on  the  left 
arm,  for  the  space  of  twenty  days. 

His  body  was  interred  in  the  same  grave  with 
his  wife,  at  Charettee  village,  county  of  Montgo 
mery,  Missouri. 


BARTLETT,  JOSIAH,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  born  at 
Amesbury,  Massachusetts,  in  November,  1729.  He 
received  the  rudiments  of  a  classical  education  in 
his  native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  com 
menced  the  study  of  physic, ,  under  the  superin 
tendence  of  Dr.  Ordway. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Kingston,  New-Hamp 
shire.  He  continued  to  practise  with  great  suc 
cess,  and  his  integrity  and  decision  of  character 
soon  attracted  the  attention  and  confidence  of  his 
fellow  citizens. 

In  the  year  1765,  Dr.  Bartlett  began  his  political 
career,  as  a  representative  to  the  legislature  from 
the  town  of  Kingston,  and  was  annually  elected 
till  the  revolution. 

Not  long  before  this  period,  however,  jealousies 
had  arisen  between  the  British  ministry  and  the 
people  of  the  colonies,  which  was  finally  the  osten 
sible  cause  of  the  bickering  between  Great  Britain 

6 


and  her  colonies.  It  was  contended  by  parlia 
ment,  that  the  expenses  arising  out  of  the  prosecu 
tion  of  the  French  war,  should  be  defrayed  by  the 
colonies,  and  that  they  had  full  power  to  determine 
the  way.  On  the  other  hand,  the  colonies  denied 
the  right  of  this  assumption  of  power,  but  were 
willing  to  pay  a  proper  proportion.  'Dr.  Bartlett, 
on  this  occasion,  took  the  side  of  the  people,  in  op 
position  to  all  the  arbitrary  acts  of  parliament 
which  afterwards  followed.  He  was  appointed  a 
delegate  to  the  general  congress  of  1774,  to  aid 
in  the  adoption  of  such  measures  as  would  secure 
the  rights,  liberties,  and  privileges  of  the  colonies, 
and  restore  harmony  between  the  two  countries. 
The  opening  of  the  year  1775,  instead  of  a  recon 
ciliation,  brought  about  those  portentous  events 
which  resulted  in  a  revolution.  In  the  mean  time 
he  wras  a  member  of  the  committee  of  safety,  and 
of  the  provincial  convention,  and  was  actively  en 
gaged  in  matters  relating  to  the  welfare  of  the 
people. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1775,  he  was  chosen  a 
delegate  to  congress,  in  the  place  of  I.  Sullivan, 
Esq.  and  took  his  seat  accordingly.  On  the  23d 
of  January,  1776,  he  was  again  re-elected  to  con 
gress,  and  on  the  12th  of  June  was  appointed  one 
of  the  committee  to  prepare  and  digest  the  form 
of  confederation  to  be  entered  into  between  the 
colonies. 

In  the  debates  which  preceded  the  signing  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  he  firmly  ad 
vocated  its  adoption ;  and  on  the  memorable  4th  of 
July,  on  taking  the  sentiments  of  the  house,  was 
the  first  called  upon :  he  answered  in  the  affirma 
tion,  and  was  followed  in  rotation  by  the  members 
from  the  other  states. 

He  was  re-elected  to  congress,  which  met  at 
York,  Penn.  in  1778. 

In  1782,  he  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  supe 
rior  court,  which  office  he  held  until  he  was  made 
chief  justice,  in  1788. 


43 

In  1788,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  of 
New-Hampshire,  which  adopted  the  present  con 
stitution.  In  1789,  he  was  chosen  a  senator  to 
congress.  In  1793,  he  was  elected  the  first  gover 
nor  of  the  state,  which  office  lie  filled  with  his  ac 
customed  promptitude  and  fidelity,  until  his  in 
firm  state  of  health  obliged  him  to  retire  wholly 
from  public  business.  This  eminent  man  and 
distinguished  patriot,  closed  his  earthly  career  on 
the  19th  of  May,  1795. 

Dr.  Bartlett  possessed  a  mind  quick  and  pene 
trating.  His  memory  was  tenacious,  and  his  judg 
ment  sound  and  perspective.  In  all  his  dealings  he 
was  scrupulously  just,  and  faithful  in  the  perform 
ance  of  all  of  his  engagements. 

He  received  an  honorary  degree  of  doctor  of 
medicine  from  Dartmouth  University,  and  was  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Agricultural  Society. 


.BROWN,  CHARLES  BROCKDEN,  a  distinguished 
writer,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  17th  of 
January,  1771.  Possessing  from  infancy  a  deli 
cate  constitution,  he  early  acquired  that  love  of 
books,  which  made  them  at  once  his  passion  and  his 
pursuit  throughout  life.  He  received  a  classical 
education  under  Robert  Proud,  the  well  known 
author  of  the  History  of  Pennsylvania.  Before  he 
had  attained  his  sixteenth  year,  he  had  written  a 
number  of  essays  in  prose  and  verse,  and  had 
sketched  plans  of  three  distinct  epic  poems.  But 
his  poetic  fervour  was  damped  by  that  universal 
sedative  of  the  imagination,  the  study  of  the  law, 
which,  however,  he  made  subservient  to  the  ac 
quirement  of  a  clear  and  vigorous  style  of  express 
ing  himself,  which  he  had  always  made  an  object 
of  his  ambition. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  commenced  the  study 


44 

of  the  law,  in  the  office  of  Alexander  Wilcox,  Esq. 
an  eminent  lawyer  of  Philadelphia. 

The  practice  of  his  profession  he  found  so  irk 
some  that  he  did  not  attempt  to  follow  it;  though 
the  thought  of  making  his  family  uneasy  by  relin 
quishing  it,  rendered  him  for  a  time  extremely  un 
happy.  They  were,  however,  partial  and  forgiving, 
and  their  indulgence  was  soon  rewarded  by  the 
fame  which  he  began  to  acquire  as  an  author. 

One  of  the  first  novels  which  he  wrote  was  en 
titled  the  "  Sky  Walk ;"  but  owing  to  the  death  of 
the  printer,  it  was  never  published. 

He  afterwards  incorporated  parts  of  it  into  "Ar 
thur  Mervyn,"  "Edgar  Huntley,"  "Ormond"  and 
"  Wieland ;"  of  which  the  last  three  are  entitled  to 
as  high  a  rank  among  the  literary  productions  of 
the  present  age,  in  point  of  powerful  description, 
truth  of  sentiment,  and  striking  situations,  as  that 
which  has  been  so  willingly  assigned  in  our  own 
country  to  the  numerous  volumes  which,  under  the 
name  of  the  "Waverly  Novels,"  have  imposed  a 
kind  of  obligation  on  the  public  to  read  them; 
whether  they  come  forth  in  sterling  worth  of  ori 
ginal  genius,  or  the  more  questionable  shape  of 
old  chronicles,  modernised,  and  forgotten  stories 
revived. 

To  Mr.  Brown  the  praise  of  full  originality  is 
amply  due ;  he  is  universally  grand,  yet  simple  ; 
moral  and  affecting. 

O 

In  1797,  he  gave  to  the  world  "Alcuin."  In 
1798,  he  published  "Wieland."  This  powerful 
and  original  romance  excited  great  attention,  and 
brought  the  author  into  notice. 

In  1799,  he  published  "Ormond,  or  the  Secret 
Witness."  From  this  time  he  prosecuted  his  la 
bour  with  success  in  the  region  of  fiction,  with  an 
ardour  and  rapidity  of  execution  seldom  parallel 
ed.  "  Arthur  Mervyn"  and  "  Edgar  Huntley"  next 
appeared  in  quick  succession. 

In   1801,   Mr.   Brown    published   his    novel    of 


45 

"  Clara  Howard."  In  October,  1803,  Mr.  Browft 
commenced  a  periodical  publication,  entitled  the 
"  Literary  Magazine  and  American  -Register." 
This  work  continued  for  five  years,  and  is  replete 
with  the  effusions  of  erudition,  taste,  and  genius. 

In  1804,  he  published  in  London  his  last  novel, 
"Jane  Talbot." 

In  1806,  Mr.  Brown  commenced  a  new  periodi 
cal  work,  entitled  the  "American  Register,"  of 
which  he  lived  to  see  five  volumes  published. 

His  health  being  very  much  impaired,  he  made 
several  excursions  into  the  Eastern  states,  to  re 
store  it,  but  alas !  a  period  was  put  to  his  suffer 
ings  on  the  morning  of  the  22d  of  February,  1810, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-nine  years. 

His  life,  together  with  his  original  letters  and 
the  fragments  of  "Carwin,"  "Calvert,"  and  "Jes 
sica,"  have  been  published  in  two  volumes  octavo. 

Most  of  his  novels  have  been  re-published  in 
London,  and  are  there  esteemed  as  productions  of 
extraordinary  genius. 


BIDDLE,  NICHOLAS,  captain  in  the  navy  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia, 
September  10,  1750. 

Among  the  brave  men  who  perished  in  the  glo 
rious  struggle  for  the  independence  of  America, 
there  are  none  more  entitled  to  a  place  in  the  bio 
graphic  annals  of  this  country. 

His  services,  and  the  high  expectations  raised  by 
his  military  genius  and  gallantry,  have  left  a  strong 
impression  of  his  merit,  and  a  profound  regret  that 
his  early  fate  should  have  disappointed  so  soon  the 
hopes  of  his  country. 

Very  early  in  life  he  manifested  his  partiality  for 
the  sea,  and  previous  to  the  year  1770,  had  made 
several  voyages. 


46 

He  afterwards  went  to  England,  with  an  intention 
of  entering  the  British  navy,  and  did  for  some 
time  act  in  the  capacity  of  a  midshipman;  but  his 
ardent  mind,  however,  could  not  rest  satisfied  with 
his  situation,  and  he  afterwards  embarked  in  the 
expedition  fitted  out  at  the  request  of  the  Royal 
Society,  to  ascertain  how  far  navigation  was  prac 
ticable  towards  the  north  pole ;  to  advance  the  dis 
covery  of  the  north-west  passage  into  the  south 
seas;  and  to  make  such  astronomical  observations 
as  might  prove  serviceable  to  navigation.  Impell 
ed  by  the  same  bold  and  enterprising  spirit,  young 
Horatio,  afterwards  Lord  Nelson,  had  solicited 
and  obtained  permission  to  enter  on  board  the  same 
vessel,  and  both  acted  in  the  capacity  of  cocks 
wains,  a  station  always  assigned  to  the  most  active 
and  trusty  seamen.  These  intrepid  navigators 
penetrated  as  far  as  the  latitude  of  81°  39'.  On 
his  return,  the  commencement  of  the  revolution 
gave  a  new  turn  to  his  pursuits,  and  he  repaired 
without  delay,  to  the  standard  of  his  country.  Soon 
after  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  he  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  Andrew  Doria,  a  brig  of 
fourteen  guns,  and  sailed  in  the  expedition  under 
commodore  Hopkins,  against  New-Providence. 
Immediately  after  taking  this  post,  he  was  ordered 
to  cruise  off  the  banks  of  New-Foundland,  and  was 
very  active  in  capturing  the  enemy's  vessels. 
While  he  was  thus  indefatigably  engaged  in  weak 
ening  the  enemy's  power  and  advancing  his  coun 
try's  interest,  he  was  disinterested  and  generous 
in  all  that  related  to  his  private  advantage.  The 
brave  and  worthy  opponent,  whom  the  chance 
of  war  had  thrown  in  his  power,  found  in  him  a 
patron  and  friend,  who  on  more  than  one  occasion 
was  known  to  restore  to  the  vanquished  the  fruits 
of  victory.  In  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1776,  he  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Randolph,  a  fri 
gate  of  thirty-two  guns.  He  sailed  from  Philadel- 


47 

phia  in  February,  1777,  and  soon  after  he  captured 
an  English  ship  of  twenty  guns,  and  three  sail  of 
merchantmen,  and  proceeded  to  Charleston  with  his 
prizes. 

He  immediately  refitted,  and  was  joined  by  other 
vessels,  and  sailed  for  the  West-India  seas.  On 
the  night  of  the  7th  of  March,  1778,  he  fell  in  with 
the  British  ship  Yarmouth,  of  sixty-four  guns,  and 
engaged  her.  Shortly  after  the  action  commenced, 
he  received  a  severe  wound  and  fell.  He  soon, 
however,  ordered  a  chair  to  be  brought,  and  being 
carried  forward,  encouraged  the  crew.  The  fire 
of  the  Randolph  was  constant  and  well  directed, 
and  appeared,  while  the  battle  lasted,  to  be  in  a 
continual  blaze.  In  about  twenty  minutes  after  the 
action  began,  and  while  the  surgeon  was  examin 
ing  his  wounds  on  the  quarter  deck,  the  Randolph 
blew  up.  The  number  of  persons  on  board  the  Ran 
dolph  was  three  hundred  and  fifteen,  all  of  whom 
perished,  except  four  men,  who  were  tossed  about 
for  four  days  on  a  piece  of  the  wreck,  before  they 
were  discovered  and  taken  up. 

Thus  prematurely  fell,  at  the  age  of  twenty-sev 
en,  as  gallant  an  officer  as  any  country  ever  boasted 
of.  In  the  short  career  which  Providence  allowed 
to  him,  he  displayed  all  those  qualities  which  con 
stitute  a  brave  commander.  Consummately  skill 
ed  in  his  profession,  no  danger  nor  unexpected 
event  could  shake  his  firmness  or  disturb  his  pre 
sence  of  mind.  He  was  a  sincere  Christian,  and 
his  religious  impressions  had  a  decided  and  power 
ful  influence  upon  his  conduct.  His  temper  was 
uniformly  cheerful,  and  his  conversation  sprightly 
and  entertaining. 


48 

BLAIR,  JOHN,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  federal 
constitution,  was  born  in  Virginia,  about  the  year 
1731. 

On  receiving  a  collegiate  education,  he  entered 
upon  the  study  of  the  law,  and  in  a  very  few  years 
rose  to  the  head  of  his  profession. 

From  eminence  at  the  bar,  his  course  to  political 
distinction  was  rapid  and  successful.  He  was  call 
ed  by  the  voice  of  his  fellow  citizens  to  some  of 
the  highest  and  most  important  trusts,  which  he 
faithfully  discharged,  at  a  time  when  the  state  of- 
our  country  wore  the  most  gloomy  aspect,  and  by 
his  exertions  contributed  essentially  to  our  liberty 
and  independence. 

In  1787,  at  which  time  he  was  judge  of  the  court 
of  appeals,  the  legislature  of  Virginia,  rinding  the 
judiciary  system  inconvenient,  established  circuit 
courts,  the  duties  of  which  they  directed  the  judges 
of  the  courts  of  appeals  to  perform.  These  judges, 
among  whose  names  are  those  of  Blair,  Pendleton, 
and  Wythe,  remonstrated,  and  declared  the  act 
unconstitutional.  In  the  same  year,  he  took  his 
seat  in  the  grand  convention,  which  met  at  Phi 
ladelphia,  to  revise  the  federal  constitution,  and 
was  one  of  its  most  active  members.  To  that  in 
strument  the  names  of  Blair  and  Madison  are  af 
fixed  as  the  deputies  from  Virginia.  In  Septem 
ber,  1789,  when  the  government  which  he  had 
assisted  in  establishing,  had  commenced  its  opera 
tions,  he  was  appointed,  by  president  Washington, 
an  associate  judge  of  the  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States. 

He  died  September  12,  1800,  in  the  sixty-ninth 
year  of  his  age. 

Judge  Blair  was  an  amiable,  accomplished,  and 
truly  virtuous  man. 


49 

BALDWIN,  ABRAHAM,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,  and  a  distinguished  statesman, 
was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1772,  and  dis 
tinguished  for  great  scholarship. 

In  1785,  he  was  appointed  president  of  the  uni 
versity  of  Georgia. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  grand  convention,  which 
held  its  session  from  May  25,  to  September  17, 
1787,  and  framed  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  To  that  instrument  he  affixed  his  name  as 
one  of  the  deputies  from  Georgia. 

After  the  organization  of  government,  he  was 
elected  a  senator  of  the  United  States,  and  while 
in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  he  died  at 
Washington,  March  2,  1807. 


BREARLY,  DAVID,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,  was  born  in  New-Jersey,  about 
the  year  1763,  and  received  the  honours  of  Prince 
ton  college  at  the  age  of  eighteen. 

On  leaving  that  celebrated  seminary,  he  com 
menced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  in  a  few  years 
stood  foremost  at  the  bar  of  his  native  state. 

In  consideration  of  his  distinguished  talents  as 
a  lawyer  and  statesman,  he  was  unanimously  elect 
ed  a  member  of  the  grand  convention  which  met  at 
Philadelphia,  in  1787,  for  framing  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  and  his  name  is  affixed  to 
that  charter  of  our  liberties. 

In  1789,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Wash 
ington,  chief  justice  of  the  state  of  New- Jersey, 
which  office  he  held  with  distinguished  honour  to 
himself  and  his  country  until  his  death,  which  took 
place  at  his  seat,  near  Trenton,  August  23,  1790, 
in  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 


m 

BAYARD,  JAMKS  A.  a  distinguished  statesman, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1767.  Los 
ing  his  parents  while  yet  a  child,  he  was  taken  into 
the  family  of  his  uncle,  John  Bayard,  under  whose 
superintendence  he  was  fitted  for  college. — After 
passing  the  regular  term  at  Princeton,  he  graduat 
ed  with  distinguished  honour. 

In  1784,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  the  law 
with  general  Read,  and  upon  his  death,  he  renew 
ed  and  successfully  prosecuted  them  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Ingersoll.  On  his  admission  to 
the  bar,  he  chose  the  state  of  Delaware  for  the 
pursuit  of  his  professional  labours. 

Not  long  after  he  arrived  at  the  constitutional 
age,  he  was  elected  a  representative  to  congress, 
and  remained  in  public  life  from  that  moment, 
through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  party  triumph  and 
defeat,  until  the  time  of  his  death. 

Though  he  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
supporters  of  the  federal  administration,  it  was 
his  peculiar  felicity  to  command  the  esteem  and 
confidence  of  both  of  the  great  political  parties, 
into  which  the  United  States  since  its  indepen 
dence  has  been  divided.  Always  consistent,  he 
was  never  known  to  sacrifice  or  render  subser 
vient  the  cause  of  his  country  to  purposes  of  party 
ambition  or  animosity.  _ 

In  the  year ,  he  was  elected  by  the  legisla 
ture  of  Delaware  a  member  of  the  senate  of  the 
United  States.  In  this  dignified  and  honourable 
station  he  was  ever  found  to  be  the  pure  politician 
and  unbending  patriot. 

As  soon  as  intelligence  had  reached  Europe  of 
the  war  with  Great  Britain,  the  emperor  of  Rus 
sia  communicated  to  both  governments  an  offer  of 
mediation. — It  was  accepted  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States,  and  commissions  were  issued  by 
the  President  to  J.  A.  Bayard  and  Albert  Gallatin, 
to  proceed  immediately  to  St.  Petersburg.  They 
sailed  from  Philadelphia,  May  9,  1813.  After  some 


JAM  Ktt    A,   BAY  A  It   1) 


51 

delay,  the  proposal  was  acceded  to  on  the  part  of 
Great  Britain,  and  Gottenburg  was  selected  as 
neutral  ground.  Further  arrangements  were  after 
wards  made  to  transfer  the  negotiations  from  Got 
tenburg  to  Ghent.— In  August,  the  British  com 
missioners  arrived  at  Ghent,  and  the  negotiation 
was  opened  in  due  form.  Here  the  character  and 
qualities  of  Mr.  Bayard  shone  with  distinguished 
lustre — and  gave  him  a  weight  and  influence  in 
the  proceedings  which  could  scarcely  be  surpassed. 
A  profound  thinker,  an  ingenious  reasoner,  and  an 
accomplished  speaker,  he  seemed  formed  for  a 
negotiator.  The  last  act  of  his  public  life  con 
firmed  the  expectation  of  his  countrymen,  and 
completed  the  catalogue  of  honourable  sendees 
which  he  had  long  before  begun. 

After  the  arrangements  at  Ghent  were  conclud 
ed,  Mr.  Bayard  made  a  journey  to  Paris,  where  he 
remained  until  he  heard  of  the  ratification  of  the 
treaty,  and  his  appointment  as  envoy  to  the  court 
of  St.  Petersburg.  This  he  promptly  declined, 
stating  his  reasons,  "that  he  had  no  wish  to  serve 
the  administration,  except  when  his  services  were 
necessary  for  the  good  of  his  country." 

Nothing  could  induce  him  to  accept  an  appoint 
ment,  that  in  the  least  would  have  a  tendency  to 
identify  him  with  the  administration  party,  unless 
it  contributed  essentially  to  his  country's  good. 

From  Paris,  Mr.  Bayard  intended  to  have  pro 
ceeded  to  England,  to  co-operate  in  the  formation 
of  a  commercial  treaty,  as  he  was  included  in  the 
commission  despatched  for  that  purpose.  An 
alarming  disease,  however,  prevented  him,  which 
continued  to  prey  upon  him  until  his  arrival  in  the 
United  States.  Here  he  reposed  himself,  only  to 
breathe  for  a  short  time  his  native  air  in  the  bo 
som  of  conjugal  and  filial  love.  He  died  August 
6,  1815. 


CLAY,  HENRY,  a  distinguished  statesman  and 
orator,  was  born  in  Virginia,  March  16,  1776. 
After  completing  the  study  of  the  law,  under  the 
direction  of  chancellor  Wythe,  of  Richmond,  Vir 
ginia,  he  settled  in  Kentucky,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  the  law  in  Lexington,  about  the  year 
1797. 

In  1 798,  he  entered  the  political  arena,  and  exerted 
his  powerful  eloquence  in  opposition  to  the  alien 
and  sedition  laws;  subjects  of  much  disputation 
at  that  period. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  was  elected  to  a 
seat  in  the  legislature  of  Kentucky,  where  he  re 
mained  until  the  year  1806,  when  he  was  chosen 
to  succeed  governor  Adair,  in  the  seat  vacated  by 
him  in  the  senate  of  the  United  States. 

During  that  session  he  made  his  debut  in  a 
speech  in  favour  of  erecting  a  bridge  over  the 
river  Potomac.  Mr.  Clay  showed,  on  this  occa 
sion,  the  preference  which  he  has  uniformly  evinc 
ed  for  broad  national  considerations,  over  those  of 
a  private  or  limited  nature. 

On  completing  the  term  of  general  Adair  in  the 
senate,  he  re-entered  the  Kentucky  legislature, 
and  on  all  occasions  in  that  body,  lent  his  aid  to 
encourage  the  people  in  supporting  the  general 
government  in  the  restrictive  system  then  intro 
duced,  to  counteract  the  proceedings  of  the  belli 
gerent  powers  of  Europe. 

He  remained  in  the  legislature  till  the  session  of 
1809—10.  When  he  was  again  elected  to  the 
senate  of  the  United  States,  to  complete  the  term 
of  service  of  judge  Thurston.  He  again  distin 
guished  himself  in  the  speech  delivered  on  the 
discussion  of  president  Madison's  occupation  of 
that  part  of  Louisiana,  commonly  called  West- 


Florida,  which  lies  between  the  Missisippi  and 
the  Perdido :  showing  from  treaties,  geographical 
and  other  authorities,  that  the  Perdido  was  the 
eastern  boundary  of  Louisiana. 

In  1811,  Mr.  Clay  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
house  of  representatives ;  and  on  the  4th  Novem 
ber  of  the  same  year,  he  was  elected  its  speaker. 
In  the  debates  which  led  to  the  declaration  of  war 
in  1812,  he  bore  a  conspicuous  part. 

In  January,  1814,  he  was,  without  any  solicita 
tion  on  his  part,  appointed  one  of  the  commis 
sioners  to  treat  for  peace.  He  signed  the  treaty 
of  Ghent,  and  then  proceeded  to  London,  where 
he  assisted  in  concluding  the  convention,  which 
has  been  the  base  of  all  our  subsequent  commer 
cial  policy. 

In  1815,  he  was  again  elected  a  member  to  con 
gress,  and  was  again  placed  in  the  speaker's  chair. 
During  the    session  of  1815,  the  war  and  peace 
were  promptly  attacked  and  censured  by  some  of 
the  members  in  the  house  of  representatives.     As 
lie  had  voted  for  the  war,  and  signed  the  treaty  of 
peace,  he  came  fonvard  as  the  champion,  and  vin 
dicated  in  a  most  eloquent  manner  the  policy  of 
both. 

His  able  and  eloquent  speech,  made  during  the 
same  session,  advocating  the  constitutional  power 
of  the  federal  government,  to  apply  its  resources 
to  a  general  system  of  roads  and  canals,  and  other 
improvements,  is  the  best  commentary  that  we 
have  upon  the  constitution  of  the  United  States,  in 
respect  to  such  powers. 

He  has  always  been  the  firm  advocate  for  the 
encouragement  of  American  manufactures. 

In  the  session  of  1817-18,  he  first  brought  for 
ward  his  proposal  for  the  recognition  of  South 
American  independence.  Although  he  was  vio 
lently  opposed,  he  nevertheless  persevered  with 
all  his  zeal  and  eloquence,  until  he  triumphantly 
carried  with  him  the  vote  of  the  house.  His 


54 

speeches,  on  this  important  topic,  are  sufficient  of 
themselves  to  transmit  his  name  with  honour  to 
posterity,  both  for  the  generous  sentiments  and 
the  enlightened  views  which  they  exhibit. 

Perhaps  no  period  of  Mr.  Clay's  political  career 
has  been  so  brilliant,  as  the  part  he  acted  in  the 
last  session  of  the  sixteenth  congress.  It  was  then 
all  his  efforts  were  crowned  with  complete  suc 
cess,  in  the  cause  of  Spanish  America.  There 
also  he  contributed  so  powerfully,  and  so  mainly, 
to  allay  the  ferment  which  seemed  to  threaten  a 
dissolution  of  the  union,  or  a  civil  war,  which  had 
risen  out  of  the  Missouri  quer 'ion.  The  language 
held  at  the  time,  was,  "Clay  has  saved  what  Wash 
ington  achieved." 

Mr.  Clay  possesses  a  mind  of  great  intellectual 
superiority,  which  is  so  organized,  that  he  over 
comes  the  difficulties  of  the  most  abstruse  and 
complicated  subjects,  apparently  without  the  toil 
of  investigation,  or  the  labour  of  profound  re 
search.  It  is  rich,  and  active,  and  rapid,  grasping 
at  one  glance,  connexions  the  most  distant,  and 
consequences  the  most  remote,  and  breaking  down 
the  trammels  of  error,  and  the  cobwebs  of  sophis 
try.  The  prominent  traits  of  his  mind  are  quick 
ness,  penetration,  and  acuteness  ;  a  fertile  inven 
tion,  discriminating  judgment,  and  good  memory. 

His  eloquence  is  impetuous  and  vehement,  with 
a  great  deal  of  fire  and  vigour  of  expression. 

His  views  of  mankind  are  enlarged  and  liberal, 
and  his  conduct  as  a  politician  and  a  statesman, 
has  been  marked  with  the  same  enlarged  and  li 
beral  policy. 


CLAYTON,  JOHN,  an  eminent  botanist  and  physi 
cian  of  Virginia,  was  born  at  Fulham,  in  Great 
Britain.  lie  came  to  Virginia  with  his  father,  who 
was  an  eminent  lawyer,  in  1705.  Mr.  Clayton  was? 


a  member  of  some  of  the  most  learned  literary  so 
cieties  of  Europe,  and  corresponded  with  Grono- 
vius,  Linnaeus,  and  other  able  botanists  of  Europe, 
As  a  practical  botanist,  he  was  inferior  to  none  of 
his  time. 

His  character  stands  very  high  as  a  man  of  in 
tegrity  and  piety.  He  was  heard  to  say,  whilst  ex 
amining  a  flower,  that  he  could  not  look  into  one, 
without  seeing  the  display  of  infinite  power  and 
contrivance,  and  that  he  thought  it  impossible  for 
a  botanist  to  be  an  atheist. 

He  died  December  15,  1773,  in  the  85th  year  of 
his  age. 

He  left  behind  him  two  volumes  of  manuscripts 
for  the  press,  and  a  hortus  siccus  of  folio  size. 
These  works  were  accidentally  burnt. 

He  is  chiefly  known  to  the  learned,  especially  in 
Europe,  by  his  Flora  Virginica,  a  work  published 
by  Gronovius  in  1739. 

This  work  is  frequently  referred  to  by  Linnaeus, 
and  by  all  the  succeeding  botanists  who  have  had 
occasion  to  treat  of  the  plants  of  North  America. 


CLARKE,  JOHN,  one  of  the  first  founders  of  Rhode 
Island,  was  a  physician  in  London,  before  he  came 
to  this  country.  Soon  after  the  first  settlement  of 
Massachusetts,  he  was  driven  from  that  colony 
with  a  number  of  others;  and  on  the  7th  day  of 
March,  1638,  they  formed  themselves  into  a  body 
politic,  and  purchased  Aquetneck  or  Rhode  Island, 
of  the  Indian  sachems.  He  was  soon  after  employ 
ed  as  a  preacher;  and  in  1644,  he  formed  a  church 
at  Newport,  and  became  its  pastor.  This  was  the 
2nd  baptist  church  formed  in  America.  In  1651, 
he  was  sent  to  England  with  Mr.  Williams,  to  pro 
mote  the  interests  of  Rhode  Island,  and  particularly 
to  procure  a  revocation  of  Mr.  Coddington's  com- 


mission  as  governor,  which  was  annulled  in  Octo 
ber/  1652.  After  the  return  of  Mr.  Williams,  Mr. 
Clarke  was  left  behind,  and  remained  in  England 
as  agent  for  the  colony,  till  he  obtained  the  second 
charter,  July  8,  1663.  He  returned  in  1664,  and 
continued  pastor  of  his  church  till  his  death,  April 
20,  1676,  aged  about  56  years. 

His  exertions  to  promote  the  civil  prosperity  of 
Rhode  Island,  must  endear  his  name  to  those  who 
are  now  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labours. 

He  possessed  the  singular  honour  of  contribut 
ing  much  towards  establishing  the  first  government 
upon  the  earth,  since  the  rise  of  antichrist,  which 
gave  equal  liberty,  civil  and  religious,  to  all  men 
living  under  it. 

He  published,  in  1652,  a  narrative  of  New- 
England's  persecutions. 


CLAP,  THOMAS,  president  of  Yale  college,  was 
born  at  Scituate,  Massachusetts,  June  26,  1703, 
and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1722.  He 
afterwards  studied  divinity,  and  was  ordained  pas 
tor  of  the  church  at  Windham,  Connecticut,  1726. 
In  1739,  he  was  appointed  successor  to  Rev.  E. 
Williams,  as  president  of  Yale  college.  Mr.  Clap 
was  one  of  the  most  profound  and  accurate  scholars, 
of  which  Connecticut  can  boast.  As  a  theologian, 
he  was  well  versed  in  ecclesiastical  history  and  the 
writings  of  the  fathers.  As  a  preacher,  he  was 
solid,  grave,  and  powerful.  His  religious  senti 
ments  accorded  with  the  Calvinistic  system.  As  he 
was  exemplary  for  piety  in  life,  so  he  was  resigned 
and  peaceful  at  the  hour  of  death.  He  died  Janua 
ry  7,  1767. 

He  constructed  the  first  orrery,  or  planetarium, 
made  in  America. 

President  Clap,  in  1755,  published  a  defence  of 


the  New-England  churches,  against  the  Armenians, 
who  were  spreading  their  doctrines  over  Connecti 
cut.  In  1766,  he  published  a  history  of  Yale  col 
lege,  which  contains  many  precious  documents 
and  biographical  sketches.  He  made  large  collec 
tions  of  materials  for  a  history  of  Connecticut, 
which,  together  with  other  valuable  manuscripts, 
were  plundered  in  the  expedition  against  New-Ha 
ven,  under  general  Tryon. 


CUTLER,  TIMOTHY,  DD.  president  of  Yale  col 
lege,  and  minister  of  Christ's  Church,  Boston,  was 
graduated  at  Harvard  college,  1701.  In  1709,  he 
was  ordained  minister  of  Stratford,  Connecticut. 
In  1719,  he  was  appointed  president  of  Yale,  which 
was  considered  an  auspicious  event  to  the  institu 
tion,  for  he  was  a  man  of  profound  and  general 
learning,  and  particularly  distinguished  for  his  ac 
quaintance  with  oriental  literature.  He  presided 
over  the  college  with  great  dignity  and  reputation. 
In  1772,  he  conformed  to  the  church  of  England, 
which  produced  a  great  shock  to  the  congregational 
establishments  of  New-England. 

A  church  was  built  for  him  in  Boston,  of  which 
he  was  rector  from  1723  to  1765,  the  year  of  his 
death. 

He  was  a  man  of  strong  powers  of  mind.  Dr. 
Stiles  represents  him  the  greatest  oriental  scholar, 
except  president  Chauncey  and  his  disciple  Mr. 
Thacher,  in  all  New-England. 

His  diploma  of  doctor  in  divinity  was  presented 
by  Oxford  university,  England, 


58 


CHAUNCEY,  CHARLES,  DD.  a  divine  eminent  for 
learning  and  piety,  was  born  in  Boston,  January  1, 
1705,  and  was  the  great  grandson  of  president 
Chauncey.  He  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college 
in  1722.  In  1727,  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  the 
first  church  in  Boston,  as  colleague  with  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Foxcroft.  He  soon  became  distinguished  as 
a  theologian,  and  no  one,  except  president  Edwards 
and  the  late  Dr.  Mayhew,  has  been  so  much  known 
among  the  literati  of  Europe,  or  printed  more  books 
upon  theological  subjects. 

In  1742,  he  received  his  diploma  from  the  uni 
versity  of  Edinburgh,  the  first  from  that  seminary 
to  an  American  divine. 

He  was  an  honest  patriot,  and  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  revolution  he  entered  warmly  into  those 
measures  which  were  considered  as  necessary  to 
vindicate  our  rights,  and  founded  in  justice  and 
dictated  by  wisdom.  So  firmly  was  he  convinced 
of  the  justness  of  our  cause,  that  he  used  to  say, 
he  had  no  doubt,  if  human  exertions  were  ineffec 
tual,  that  a  host  of  angels  would  be  sent  to  assist 
us. 

His  health,  cheerfulness,  activity,  and  the  pow 
ers  of  his  mind,  continued  to  old  age.  He  died 
February  10,  1787. 

He  was  respected  for  the  excellence  of  his  cha 
racter,  being  honest  and  sincere  in  his  intercourse 
with  his  fellow  men,  kind,  charitable,  and  pious. 

The  publications  of  Dr.  Chauncey  are  numerous. 
Those  best  known,  are,  12  sermons  chiefly  upon 
justification,  in  opposition  to  the  opinion  of  Robert 
Sandiman,  8vo.  1765:  answer  to  Dr.  Chandler's 
appeal,  1768:  reply  to  Dr.  Chandler's  appeal  de 
fended,  1770:  in  1771,  he  published  a  complete 
view  of  episcopacy  from  the  fathers  ;  a  work  which 
does  him  great  honour,  and  which,  in  the  opinion 
of  many,  has  settled  the  controversy.  Five  ser 
mons  on  the  Lord's  supper,  1772:  a  just  repre 
sentation  of  the  sufferings  and  hardships  of  the 


59 

town  of  Boston,  1774  :  the  salvation  of  all  men. 
8vo.  1784  :  the  benevolence  of  the  Deity  considered, 
8vo.  1785  :  five  dissertations  on  the  fall  and  its  con 
sequences,  8vo.  1785. 


CLYMER,  GEORGE,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  de 
claration  of  independence,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1739.  He  had  the  mis 
fortune  to  lose  his  parents  at  an  early  age,  but 
the  want  of  parental  protection  was  faithfully  sup 
plied  by  William  Coleman,  Esq.,  under  the  super 
intendence  of  whom  he  received  an  excellent  edu 
cation.  . 

On  arriving  at  a  proper  age,  his  mind  was  turned 
towards  mercantile  pursuits,  and  he  accordingly 
connected  himself  in  business  with  a  Mr.  Ritchie* 
Mr.  Clymer's  habits  of  study  led  him  gradually  to 
abandon  mercantile  pursuits  for  those  of  politics 
and  agriculture,  as  branches  which  would  most 
materially  conduce  to  the  happiness  and  prosperity 
of  his  country.  The  principles  of  Mr.  Clymer  were 
stern  republicanism,  and  the  period  had  now  arriv 
ed  when  they  were  put  to  the  test.  He  was  among 
the  first  who  embarked  in  opposition  to  the  arbitra 
ry  acts,  and  unjust  pretensions  of  Great  Britain. 
When  conciliatory  measures  were  found  unavailing, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of 
the  colonies.  Mr.  Clymer  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  council  of  safety.  On  the  29th  of  July,  1775, 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  first  continental  trea 
surers,  which  office  he  held  until  after  his  appoint 
ment  to  the  congress  of  '76.  In  this  memorable 
year,  he  put  his  seal  to  that  charter  of  indepen 
dence,  which  has  given  us  a  rank  among  the  na 
tions  of  the  earth.  In  1777,  he  was  re-elected  to 
congress,  and  continued  to  be  an  active  and  effi 
cient  member  of  that  body,  until  the  19th  May 


tifl 

following,  when  the  infirm  state  of  his  health  oblig 
ed  him  to  retire. 

After  his  recovery,  he  was  employed  by  con 
gress  in  the  execution  of  several  important  trusts, 
which  he  performed  with  great  ability  and  address. 

In  November,  1780,  he  was  for  the  third  time 
elected  to  congress;  from  this  until  the  12th  No 
vember,  1782,  he  was  actively  engaged  in  the  pub 
lic  service,  and  promoting  its  welfare  by  every  pos 
sible  means  in  his  power. 

He  was  one  of  the  most  able  advocates  for  that 
institution,  which  became  afterwards  one  of  the 
most  powerful  supports  of  the  American  cause,  the 
national  bank. 

In  November,  1782,  Mr.  Clymer  having  retired 
from  his  seat  in  congress,  removed  to  Princeton, 
New-Jersey,  for  the  purpose  of  educating  his  sons 
at  Nassau-Hall. 

This  was  a  happy  moment  in  the  life  of  Mr. 
Clymer,  when  conscious  of  having  acted  well  his 
part,  amidst  the  turmoils  and  troubles  of  an  eight 
years'  war,  he  could  sit  down  in  the  bosom  of  his 
family,  and  reflect  upon  the  deeds  which  he  had 
done,  and  the  happiness  which  it  had  secured  to 
his  country. 

Nor  must  it  be  forgotten,  that  the  services  which 
he  afterwards  rendered  to  Pennsylvania,  in  alter 
ing  her  penal  code  of  laws,  evidence  his  wisdom 
and  the  benevolence  of  his  mind. 

As  soon  as  the  old  articles  of  confederation  were 
found  inadequate  to  bind  the  states  together,  a  con 
vention  was  called  to  form  a  more  efficient  consti 
tution  for  the  general  government.  To  this  illus 
trious  assembly  Mr.  Clymer  was  called,  and  in 
which  he  afterwards  evinced  and  advocated  the 
most  enlightened  and  liberal  views.  On  the  adop 
tion  of  the  constitution,  he  was  once  more  called  to 
unite  his  talents  with  those  of  the  assembled  sages 
of  the  general  legislature.  Here  he  gave  his  un 
qualified  support  to  all  those  measures,  which  con- 


01 

i ributed  so  largely  to  the  honour  and  welfare  of  the 
nation,  and  conferred  so  much  distinction  upon  the 
administration  of  Washington.  At  the  expiration 
of  the  first  congressional  term  of  two  years,  he  de 
clined  a  re-election,  which  closed  his  long,  labo 
rious,  and  able  legislative  career.  But  he  was  not 
permitted  to  remain  in  the  shade  of  private  life. 
He  was  afterwards  employed  at  the  head  of  the 
excise  office,  and  lastly  in  negotiating  a  treaty  with 
the  Creek  and  Cherokee  Indians,  in  Georgia. 

This  distinguished  patriot  died  at  Morrisville, 
Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  23rd  January, 
1813,  at  the  advanced  age  of  74. 

Mr.  Clymer  possessed  strong  intellects  from  na 
ture,  which  he  improved  by  culture  and  study. 
Retired,  studious,  contemplative,  he  was  ever  add 
ing  something  to  his  knowledge,  and  endeavouring 
to  make  that  knowledge  useful. 

His  predominant  passion  was  to  promote  every 
scheme  for  the  improvement  of  his  country,  wheth 
er  in  sciences,  agriculture,  polite  education,  the 
useful  or  the  fine  arts. 

His  conversation  was  of  the  most  instructive 
kind,  and  manifested  an  extensive  knowledge  of 
books  and  men. 

He  was  a  man  of  irreproachable  morals,  and  of 
a  pure  heart.  In  the  domestic  circle,  and  in 
friendly  intercourse,  he  appeared  to  peculiar  ad 
vantage. 


.  CARVER,  JOHN,  first  governor  of  Plymouth  co 
lony,  was  one  of  the  most  active,  useful,  and  pious 
men  of  Mr.  Robinson's  church,  while  they  were  at 
Leyden,  and  as  praiseworthy  while  he  lived  with 
the  pilgrims,  who  first  planted  this  part  of  North 
America.  Carver  and  Cushman  were  appointed 
the  agents  to  agree  with  the  Virginia  company  in 
England,  and  make  provision  for  their  voyage. 


62 

They  obtained  a  patent  in  1619,  and  in  1620 
they  arrived  in  New-England.  In  November  Mr. 
Carver  was  elected  governor.  On  the  6th  Decem 
ber  governor  Carver,  with  a  few  associates,  went 
in  pursuit  of  an  eligible  spot,  to  commence  a  set 
tlement.  On  the  llth  December,  after  having  sur 
veyed  the  bay,  they  went  ashore  upon  the  main 
land  at  the  place,  which  they  afterwards  called 
Plymouth,  and  the  rock  on  which  they  first  set 
their  feet,  is  now  in  the  public  square  of  the  town 
to  this  day,  and  goes  by  the  name  of  the  Forefa 
thers'  Rock.  They  immediately  laid  out  a  town 
and  built  houses.  On  the  31st  December  the  pub 
lic  services  of  religion  were  attended  on  the  shore 
for  the  first  time. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1621,  they  were  for  the 
first  time  visited  by  an  Indian,  who  boldly  entered 
the  town  alone,  and  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
emigrants,  addressed  them  in  these  words  :  "Wel 
come,  Englishmen  !  Welcome,  Englishmen  !  his 
name  was  Samoset,  and  he  was  sagamore  of  Mora- 
tiggon,  distant  five  days  journey  to  the  eastward. 
He  had  learned  broken  English  of  the  fishermen 

O 

in  his  country.  By  him  the  governor  was  in 
formed,  that  the  place  where  they  now  were,  was 
called  Patuxet,  and  though  it  was  formerly  popu 
lous,  that  every  human  being  had  died  of  the  late 
pestilence."  This  account  was  confirmed  by  the 
extent  of  the  deserted  fields,  the  number  of  graves, 
and  the  remnants  of  skeletons,  lying  on  the  ground. 
On  the  22d  day  of  March,  Massassoit,  the  sachem 
of  the  neighbouring  Indians,  appeared  over  against 
the  English  town,  with  a  train  of  60  men  :  after 
some  hesitation,  mutual  distrust  prevented  for  some 
time  any  advances  upon  either  side.  But  Mr. Wins- 
low  being  sent  to  the  Indian  king  with  a  copper 
chain  and  two  knives,  with  a  friendly  message 
from  the  governor,  the  sachem  was  pleased  to 
descend  from  the  hill,  accompanied  by  twenty 
men  unarmed.  Captain  Standish  met  him  at  the 


(33 

brook,  at  the  head  of  six  imm  with  muskets,  and 
escorted  him  to  one  of  the  best  houses,  where 
three  or  four  cushions  were  placed  on  a  green 
rug,  spread  over  the  floor.  The  governor  came 
in,  preceded  by  a  drum  and  trumpet,  the  sound  of 
which  greatly  delighted  the  Indians.  After  mu 
tual  salutations,  the  governor  kissing  his  majes 
ty's  hand,  refreshments  were  ordered.  A  league 
of  friendship  was  then  agreed  on,  which  was  in 
violably  observed  for  above  fifty  years. 

The  next  day,  March  23d,  Mr.  Carver  was  elect 
ed  governor  for  another  year. 

In  the  beginning  of  April,  twenty  acres  of  land 
were  prepared  for  the  reception  of  Indian  corn, 
and  Samoset  and  Squanto  taught  the  emigrants 
how  to  plant  and  dress  »t  with  herrings,  of  which 
immense  quantities  came  into  the  brooks.  Six 
acres  were  sowed  with  barley  and  peas.  On  the 
5th  April  the  governor  came  out  into  the  field  at 
noon,  complaining  of  a  pain  in  his  head,  and  in  a 
few  days  after  he  died.  He  was  succeeded  in  the 
office  of  governor  by  Mr.  Bradford.  The  broad 
sword  of  governor  Carver  is  deposited  in  the  cabi 
net  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  Society  in 
Boston. 


CARVER,  JONATHAN,  an  enterprising  traveller, 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and  born  in  1732. 
He  was  intended  for  the  profession  of  medicine, 
which  he  quitted  for  a  military  life,  and  served 
with  reputation  in  the  expedition  against  the 
French  in  Canada,  till  the  peace  of  1763.  After 
this  period,  he  formed  the  resolution  of  exploring 
the  most  interior  parts  of  North  America,  and  of 
penetrating  as  far  as  the  Pacific  ocean.  He  hoped 
also  to  facilitate  the  discovery  of  a  north-west 
passage,  or  of  a  communication  between  Hudson's 
bay  and  the  Pacific  ocean.  If  he  could  effect  the 


64 

establishment  of  a  post  on  the  straits  of  Anniaii, 
he  supposed  he  should  thus  open  a  channel  for 
conveying  intelligence  to  China,  and  the  English 
settlements  in  the  East  Indies,  with  greater  expe 
dition,  than  by  a  tedious  voyage  by  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  or  the  straits  of  Magellan.  The 
former  of  these  projects  he  carried  into  execution 
amidst  numerous  difficulties,  and  returned  to  Bos 
ton  in  October,  1768;  having  been  absent  on  this 
expedition  two  years  and  five  months,  and  during 
that  time  had  travelled  near  7000  miles. 

In  1778,  he  published  his  travels  through  the 
interior  parts  of  North  America.  He  died  in 
1780,  aged  forty-eight  years. 


CALVERT,  LEONARD,  the  first  governor  of  Mary 
land,  was  the  brother  of  Cecilius  Calvert,  the  pro 
prietor,  and  who  sent  him  to  America,  as  the  head 
of  the  colony,  in  1633.    Accompanied  by  his  bro 
ther  George,  and  about  200  persons  of  good  fami 
lies,  they  arrived  at  Point  Comfort,  in  Virginia, 
February  24,   1634.     On  the  3d  March  they  en 
tered  the   Potomac,   and  sailed  up   about  twelve 
leagues,  and  took  possession  of  an  island,  which 
he  afterwards  called  St.  Clement's.     He  fired  here 
his  canon,  erected  a  cross,  and  took  possession 
"in  the  name  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  and  of 
the  king  of  England."     Thence   he  went  fifteen 
leagues  higher  to  the  Indian  town  of  Potomac,  now 
called  New-Marlborough,  where  he  was  received 
in  a  friendly  manner  by  the  natives.     Thence  he 
sailed  twelve  leagues  higher  to  the  town  of  Pica- 
taway,  on  the  Maryland  side,  where  he  found  Henry 
Fleet,  an  Englishmen,  who  had  resided  among  the 
natives   several  years,   and  was  held  by  them  in 
great  esteem.     This  man  was  very  serviceable  a* 
an  interpreter.      An  interview  having  been  pro- 


05 

cured  with  the  prince  Werowauu,  Oalvert  asked 
him,  whether  he  was  willing  that  a  settlement 
should  be  made  in  his  country.  He  replied,  "I 
will  not  bid  you  go,  neither  will  I  bid  you  stay  ; 
but  you  may  use  your  own  discretion."  Having 
convinced  the  natives  his  designs  were  honour 
able  and  pacific,  the  governor,  by  giving  a  satisfac 
tory  consideration,  entered  into  a  contract  to  re 
side  in  one  part  of  their  town,  until  the  next  har- 
vestj  when  the  natives  should  entirely  quit  the 
place. 

Thus  on  the  27th  March,  1634,  the  governor 
took  peaceable  possession  of  the  country  of  Mary 
land,  and  gave  to  the  town  the  name  of  St.  Ma 
ry's,  and  to  the  creek,  on  which  it  was  situated,  the 
name  of  St.  George's.  The  desire  of  rendering 
justice  to  the  natives,  by  giving  them  a  reasonable 
compensation  for  their  lands,  is  a  trait  in  the  cha 
racter  of  the  first  planters,  which  will  always  do 
honour  to  their  memory. 

This  province  was  established  on  the  broad  foun 
dation  of  security  to  property,  and  of  freedom  in 
religion.  Fifty  acres  of  land  were  granted  in  ab 
solute  fee  to  every  emigrant,  and  Christianity  was 
established  without  allowing  pre-eminence  to  tiny 
particular  sect.  This  liberal  policy  rendered  a 
Roman  catholic  colony  an  asylum  for  those,  who 
were  driven  from  New-England  by  the  persecu 
tions  which  were  then  experienced  from  protes- 
tants.  After  the  civil  war  in  England,  the  parlia 
ment  assumed  the  government  of  the  province,  and 
appointed  a  new  governor.  Cecilius  Calvert,  the 
proprietor,  recovered  his  right  to  the  province  upon 
the  restoration  of  king  Charles  II.,  in  1660,  and 
within  a  year  or  two  appointed  his  son  Charles 
the  governor.  He  died  in  1676,  covered  with  age 
and  reputation,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son. 


66 

COLMAN,  BEAJAMIN,  DD.  a  learned  divine,  was 
born  in  Boston,  October  19,  1673.  He  was  dis 
tinguished  by  early  piety  and  zeal  in  literary  pur 
suits,  and  in  1692,  was  graduated  at  Harvard  col 
lege.  In  the  year  1695,  he  went  to  London,  where 
lie  had  many  friends.  He  preached  to  great  ac 
ceptance  in  that  city,  and  became  acquainted  with 
Messrs.  Bates,  Calamy,  Howe,  and  Burkett.  On 
his  return  to  this  country,  he  was  installed  the  first 
pastor  of  Brattle-street  church.  Here  he  conti 
nued  the  faithful  and  beloved  pastor,  until  the  sum 
mer  of  1747,  when  he  died,  aged  seventy-four 
years. 

Dr.  Colman  received  a  diploma  of  doctor  in  divi 
nity  from  the  university  of  Glasgow,  1731.  He 
was  elected  president  of  Harvard  college,  1724. 
He  was  universally  respected  for  his  learning  and 
talents,  and  was  considered  at  the  head  of  the 
clergy  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Cotton  Mather.  He 
had  an  extensive  correspondence,  which  he  made 
subservient  to  useful  and  benevolent  purposes. 
Through  him  the  Hollis  family  laid  their  founda 
tions  for  two  professorships  at  Harvard  college. 
His  care  also  extended  to  Yale  college,  for  which 
he  procured  many  valuable  books.  His  character 
was  singularly  excellent.  There  were  few  men 
more  zealous  and  unwearied  in  the  labours  of  the 
pastoral  office.  Having  imbibed  the  true  spirit  of 
the  gospel,  he  was  catholic,  moderate,  benevolent, 
and  ever  anxious  to  promote  the  gospel  of  salvation. 
What  president  Holyoke  said  of  him,  in  an  oration 
pronounced  the  commencement  after  his  death, 
was  considered  as  correct  sentiment,  rather  than 
panegyric.  "Vita  ejus  utillissima  in  rebus  chari- 
tatis,  humanitatis,  benignitatis,  et  benefieentise, 
nunquam  non  occupata  est." 

His  publications  are  numerous,  principally  theo 
logical.  An  account  of  his  life  and  writings  have 
been  published  in  one  volume  octavo. 


CHAUNCEY,  CHARLES,  DD.  president  of  Harvard 
college,  and  who  is  styled  in  Mather's  Magnalia, 
Cadmus  Americanus,  was  born  in  England,  in 
1589,  and  educated  at  the  university  of  Cambridge. 
He  there  took  the  degree  of  B.  D.  Being  inti 
mately  acquainted  with  archbishop  Usher,  one  of 
the  finest  scholars  in  Europe,  he  had  more  than 
common  advantages  to  expand  his  mind,  and  make 
improvements  in  literature. 

He  was  chosen  Hebrew  professor  at  Cambridge. 
but  afterwards  to  oblige  the  vice-chancellor,  he  ac 
cepted  of  the  professorship  of  Greek.  In  Leigh's 
Critica  Sacra,  he  is  called  Vir  doctissimus,  fyc. 
This  uncommon  scholar  became  a  preacher,  and 
was  settled  at  Ware. 

He  displeased  archbishop  Laud,  by  refusing  to 
read  the  book  of  sports,  and  determined  thereupon 
to  seek  the  peaceable  enjoyment  of  the  rights  of 
conscience  in  New-England.  He  accordingly  came 
to  this  country,  and  arrived  at  Plymouth  in  the  year 
1638.  When  a  stop  was  put  to  the  Laudean  per 
secution,  he  was  invited  back  by  his  former  people 
at  Ware.  At  this  time,  however,  the  chair  of  the 
president  was  vacant  at  Harvard  college.  He  was 
requested  to  accept  it,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
performed  the  duties  of  that  office  with  honour  to 
himself,  and  to  the  reputation  of  that  seminary  of 
learning.  "How  learnedly  he  conveyed  all  the 
liberal  arts  to  those  that  sat  under  his  feat,  how 
constantly  he  expounded  the  scriptures  to  them  in 
the  college  hall,  how  wittily  he  moderated  their 
disputations  and  other  exercises,  how  fluently  he 
expressed  himself  unto  them,  with  Latin  of  a 
Terentian  phrase,  in  all  his  discourses,  and  how 
carefully  he  inspected  their  manners,  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  many  of  our  most  icorthy  men,  who 
were  made  such  by  their  education  under  him." 
When  he  made  his  oration  on  his  inauguration,  he 
concluded  it  thus:  "Doctiorem,  certe  prsesidem,  et 
huic  oneri  ac  stationi  multis  modis  aptiorem,  vobis 


68 

facile  li£pt  invenire ;  sed  amantiorem,  ct  vestri  boni 
studiosiorem,  non  invenientis." 

He  was  an  indefatigable  student,  making  it  his 
constant  practice  to  rise  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing;  but  his  studies  did  not  interrupt  his  inter 
course  with  heaven,  for  he  usually  devoted  several 
hours  in  the  course  of  the  day  to  secret  prayer. 
Immediately  after  he  rose  from  bed,  at  eleven 
o'clock,  at  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  nine,  he 
retired  from  the  world  to  commune  with  the  Fa 
ther  of  mercies.  He  kept  a  diary,  in  which,  under 
the  heads  of  sins  and  mercies,  he  recorded  his  im 
perfections,  and  the  blessings  which  were  imparted 
to  him.  Yet  with  his  zeal,  attention  to  business, 
and  to  his  private  studies,  with  his  amazing  appli 
cation  to  every  thing  that  was  before  him,  he  lived 
to  be  famous,  and  preached  to  much  acceptance  at 
an  age  to  which  few  reach,  and  they  complain 
"  their  strength  is  labour  and  sorrow."  When  his 
friends  advised  him  to  remit  his  public  labours,  he 
answered,  "  oportet  imperatore  mori  stantem."  At 
length,  on  the  commencement  of  1671,  he  address 
ed  to  his  friends  a  farewell  oration,  after  which  he 
sent  for  his  children,  and  blessed  them. 

He  then  with  Christian  serenity  awaited  his  de 
parture,  and  closed  his  useful  life  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years. 

President  Chauncey  was  a  distinguished  scholar, 
being  intimately  acquainted  with  many  oriental 
languages.  He  was  well  versed  also  in  the  sci 
ences,  especially  in  theology,  which  was  his  fa 
vourite  study. 

A  more  learned  man,  perhaps,  was  not  to  be 
found  among  the  fathers  of  New-England.  He 
published  a  volume  of  sermons  on  justification. 
1659,  4to. 

.  His  valuable  manuscripts  left  at  his  death,  were 
afterwards  destroved  bv  fire. 


69 

CLINTON,  DE  WITT,  LL.D.  a  distinguished  states 
man,  was  born  in  the  year  1769,  in  Orange  county, 
New-York.  In  1784,  he  entered  Columbia  col 
lege,  and  at  the  commencement  for  conferring  de 
grees,  he  received  the  honours  of  the  university. 
Early  in  the  year  1786,  he.  commenced  the  study 
of  the  law  with  Samuel  Jones,  Esq.  a  celebrated 
counsellor  in  New- York.  He  received  the  usual 
licenses  or  degrees,  but  did  not  immediately  com 
mence  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  was  shortly 
afterwards  appointed  secretary  to  his  uncle,  George 
Clinton,  then  governor  of  the  state,  in  whose  ser 
vice  he  continued,  during  his  administration,  which 
ended  in  1795. 

In  1797,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  assem 
bly  for  the  city  of  New-York.  During  the  period 
of  his  legislative  career,  he  devoted  a  large  portion 
of  his  time  to  every  subject  which  had  relation  to 
the  advancement  of  science;  the  promotion  of 
agriculture ;  manufactures,  and  the  arts  generally ; 
the  establishment  of  the  credit  of  our  staple  com 
modities  in  foreign  markets ;  the  gradual  abolition 
of  slavery;  the  encouragement  of  steam  boats  ;  and 
the  various  objects  of  municipal  improvement. 

In  February,  1802,  he  was  appointed  a  senator 
of  the  United  States,  in  the  place  of  general  Arm 
strong,  who  had  resigned.  He  continued  an  active 
member  of  this  body  until  October,  1803,  when  he 
retired,  having  been  chosen  mayor  of  the  city  of 
New- York. 

In  1806,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  coun 
cil  of  appointment. 

In  1807,  Mr.  Clinton  was  succeeded  as  mayor 
by  colonel  Willet.  In  1808,  he  was  again  elected 
mayor  of  the  city.  He  was  also  this  year,  chosen 
a  regent  of  the  university.  In  the  senate  he  still 
continued  his  support  to .  the  encouragement  of 
free  schools,  colleges,  and  manufactures.  The 
record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  senate  of  New- 
York  for  the  sessions  of  1809,  '10,  '11,  exhibit 


70 

proofs  of  his  great  usefulness.  Under  his  auspices, 
the  New- York  historical  society  was  incorporated ; 
the  New- York  academy  of  fine  arts  was  incorporat 
ed;  the  orphan  asylum  and  free  school  societies  were 
fostered  and  encouraged ;  and  a  fur  company  was 
established,  with  a  view  of  diverting  that  important 
branch  of  inland  trade  from  Canada:  besides,  he 
introduced  laws  to  prevent  kidnapping ;  for  the  sup 
port  of  the  quarantine  establishment ;  for  the  encou 
ragement  of  missionary  societies ;  for  the  improve 
ment  of  the  public  police ;  for  the  prevention  and 
punishment  of  crime ;  for  promoting  medical  sci 
ence  ;  and  for  the  endowing  seminaries  of  learning. 

In  March,  1810,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
commissioners,  to  report  on  the  improvement  of 
the  internal  navigation  of  the  state.  As  soon  as 
the  board  of  commissioners  made  their  report,  a 
law  was  passed,  "  To  provide  for  the  internal  navi 
gation  of  the  state."  In  consequence  of  the  inter 
ruption  occasioned  by  the  late  war,  nothing,  how 
ever,  was  done.  In  1816,  a  law  was  passed,  con 
stituting  a  board  of  canal  commissioners,  of  which 
Mr.  Clinton  was  appointed  president.  The  plan 
was,  to  connect  lake  Erie  with  the  tide  waters  of 
the  river  Hudson. 

In  1817,  a  laAV  was  passed,  (in  consequence  of 
the  favourable  reports  made  by  the  board,)  autho 
rizing  the  junction,  by  canals,  of  the  two  waters  of 
the  great  western  and  northern  lakes,  with  the  At 
lantic  ocean. 

In  1811,  Mr.  Clinton  was  again  chosen  mayor, 
which  office  he  continued  to  hold  until  1815.  In 
1811,  he  was  also  chosen  lieutenant-governor  of 
the  state  of  New-York. 

In  March,  1817,  he  was  chosen  governor  of  the 
state,  almost  without  any  opposition. 

He  is  at  this  time  also  closely  connected  with 
many  literary,  scientific,  and  benevolent  institu 
tions,  of  several  of  which  he  has  been  the  framer. 
He  is  president  of  the  literary  and  philosophical 


71 

society  of  New- York,  and  of  the  New- York  histo 
rical  society.  He  has  been  admitted  a  member  of 
the  American  philosophical  society,  and  of  all  the 
principal  scientific  associations  in  this  country,  and 
of  several  in  Europe.  In  1812,  he  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  LL.  D. 

Governor  Clinton's  personal  appearance  is  dig 
nified  and  commanding,  rather  above  the  middle 
size,  large  and  well  proportioned,  and  a  counte 
nance  highly  expressive.  His  chief*  ambition  has 
been  to  excel  in  what  will  benefit  mankind.  In 
private  life  and  domestic  duties,  he  is  amiable  and 
exemplary,  exhibiting  the  picture  of  a  great  man, 
an  elegant  and  profound  scholar,  and  practical  citi 
zen  ;  a  man  of  letters  and  the  world,  and  a  charac 
ter  of  active  worth  to  the  present  generation,  and 
of  solid  and  permanent  advantage  to  posterity, 


CARROLL,  JOHN,  DD.  first  archbishop  of  the 
Roman  catholic  church  in  America,  was  born  at 
Upper-Marlborough,  Maryland,  about  the  year 
1735. 

At  a  very  early  period  he  gave  striking  presages 
of  his  future  worth.  After  spending  some  time  at 
school  in  his  native  state,  he  was  sent  to  the  col 
lege  of  St.  Omers,  in  France,  and  graduated  with 
distinguished  reputation  for  scholarship.  He  was 
then  transferred  to  the  college  of  Liege,  ordained 
a  priest,  and  admitted  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Jesus.  After  the  dissolution  of  that  society,  he 
acted  as  the  secretary  of  the  dispersed  fathers,  in 
their  remonstrances  with  the  French  court,  respect 
ing  the  temporal  interests  of  the  abolished  order. 

He  afterwards  acted  in  the  capacity  of  preceptor 
and  governor  to  the  son  of  the  late  Lord  Stourton, 
on  a  tour  through  Europe. 

Upon  his  arrival  in  England  he  resided  for  some 


72 

time  in  the  family  of  Lord  Arundel,  and  on  the 
commencement  of  our  struggles,  he  returned  to 
America. 

At  the  request  of  congress,  he  accompanied  Dr. 
Franklin,  Charles  Carroll,  of  Charrolton,  and  Sa 
muel  Chase,  on  a  political  mission  to  Canada. 

Throughout  the  revolutionary  war  he  was  firmly 
attached  to  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  rendered  his 
country  important  services. 

On  the  establishment  of  our  independence,  he 
solicited  the  Pope  to  erect  the  United  States  into 
an  episcopal  see,  and  received  the  appointment  of 
bishop.  And  since,  at  the  solicitation  of  the  Ca 
tholic  clergy,  he  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  arch 
bishop. 

In  the  exercise  of  his  sacred  functions,  he  dis 
played  a  spirit  of  conciliation,  mildness,  and  Chris 
tian  humility,  which  greatly  endeared  him  to  those 
under  his  charge.  In  him,  religion  assumed  its 
most  attractive  form  :  dignified,  yet  simple ;  pious, 
but  not  austere. 

Death  to  him  had  no  terrors — he  peacefully  re 
signed  his  breath  into  the  hands  of  his  Maker,  De 
cember  23,  1815,  aged  eighty  years. 


CLINTON,  GEORGE,  fourth  vice-president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  July  15, 1739,  in  the  present 
town  of  New-Windsor,  county  of  Orange,  in  the 
state  of  New- York.  At  an  early  age  he  displayed  that 
spirit  of  enterprise  and  energy  of  character,  which 
distinguished  his  conduct  through  life.  During 
what  is  termed  the  French  war,  he  signalized  him 
self  in  several  successful  expeditions  against  the 
French.  He  afterwards  entered  on  the  study  of 
Law,  under  the  direction  of  judge  Smith,  the  his 
torian  of  New- York. 

In  1764,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  su- 


73 

preme  court,  and  established  himself  in  his  native 
county,  where  he  practised  with  great  reputation 
and  success. 

In  conjunction  with  Charles  De  Witt,  Esq.  he 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  colonial  assembly, 
where  he  continued  actively  employed  until  the  re 
volution,  displaying  all  the  resources  of  a  power 
ful  intellect,  and  the  energies  of  undaunted  pa 
triotism. 

On  the  22d  April,  1775,  he  was  appointed  a  dele 
gate  to  the  continental  congress ;  and  in  the  same 
year  he  received  the  appointment  of  brigadier- 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States. 

At  the  first  election  under  the  constitution  of  the 
state,  which  was  adopted  at  New- York  on  the  20th 
April,  1777,  he  was  chosen  both  governor  and  lieu 
tenant-governor;  he  accepted  the  former,  in  which 
office  he  was  afterwards  continued  by  six  succes 
sive  triennial  elections. 

During  the  revolutionary  war,  his  situation  as 
chief  magistrate  of  the  state  of  New- York,  was  the 
most  arduous,  the  most  critical,  and  the  most  im 
portant  of  any  office  in  the  new  empire,  except  that 
of  the  commander-in-chief. 

The  state  was  harassed  at  all  points  by  hostile 
forces,  by  disaffection,  and  by  treason.  It  was  at 
this  eventful  crisis,  too,  that  the  British  commander 
attempted  to  divide  the  eastern  from  the  other 
members  of  the  confederacy,  by  a  cordon  of  troops, 
and  armed  vessels,  extending  from  the  city  of  New- 
York  along  Hudson's  river  to  the  northern  lakes. 
Governor  Clinton,  with  a  handful  of  men,  for  a  long 
time  successfully  opposed  the  operations  of  the 
whole  British  army,  and  was  finally  the  cause  that 
frustrated  the  schemes  of  the  British  commander, 
which,  had  they  succeeded,  might  have  prostrated 
for  a  time  the  liberties  of  America* 

In  June,  1788,  governor  Clinton  was  chosen  presi 
dent  of  the  convention,  which  met  at  Poughkeepsie, 
to  deliberate  on  the  new  constitution, 

10 


After  a  retirement  of  five  years  from  public  life, 
he  was  induced  from  the  critical  and  agitated  state 
of  the  country,  to  step  forth  from  the  asylum  of  do 
mestic  enjoyments,  into  the  troubled  theatre  of 
politics;  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  his  influence 
was  the  principal  cause  of  the  great  political  revo 
lution  which  took  place  in  1801.  At  that  time  he 
was  also  prevailed  upon  to  accept  the  appointment 
of  governor.  He  held  that  office  for  three  years, 
and  was  then  elected  vice-president  of  the  United 
States.  In  this  station  he  remained  until  his  de 
cease,  which  took  place  on  the  20th  April,  1812,  at 
the  city  of  Washington. 

Governor  Clinton's  conduct  \vas  as  amiable  and 
exemplary  in  private,  as  it  was  dignified  and  useful 
in  public  life.  As  a  public  character,  he  will  live 
in  the  veneration  of  posterity,  and  the  progress  of 
time  will  thicken  the  laurels  that  surround  his  mon 
ument.  The  characteristic  virtues  which  distin 
guished  his  life,  appeared  in  full  splendour  in  the 
trying  hour  of  death ;  and  he  died  as  he  lived,  with 
out  fear  and  without  reproach. 


CODDINGTON,  WILLIAM,  the  father  of  Rhode-Isl 
and,  was  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England.  He 
was  appointed  a  magistrate  for  Massachusetts,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1630,  and  fixed  himself  in 
Boston.  On  account  of  party  politics,  he  removed 
to  Rhode-Island,  April  26,  1638,  and  was  the  prin 
cipal  instrument  in  effecting  the  original  settle 
ment  of  that  place.  His  name  stands  first  in  the 
covenant  signed  by  eighteen  persons  at  Aquetneck, 
or  Rhode-Island,  March  7,  1638,  forming  them 
selves  into  a  body  politic,  to  be  governed  by  the 
laws  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of  kings. 
It  was  soon  found  necessary  to  have  something 
more  definite.  Mr.  Coddington  was  appointed 


judge,  and  three  elders  were  joined  with  him ;  these 
were  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  freemen,  January  2, 
1639,  to  be  governed  by  the  general  rules  of  the 
word  of  God,  when  no  particular  rule  was  known. 
But  this  plan  was  changed,  March  12,  1640,  when 
a  governor,  lieutenant-governor,  and  four  assist 
ants  were  appointed. 

Mr.  Coddington  was  chosen  governor  seven 
years  successively,  until  the  charter  w^as  obtained, 
and  the  island  was  incorporated  with  the  Provi 
dence  plantations.  In  1647  he  assisted  in  forming 
the  body  of  laws  which  has  been  the  basis  of  the 
government  of  Rhode-Island  ever  since.  In  1651, 
he  went  to  England,  and  was  commissioned  go 
vernor  of  Aquetneck  island,  separate  from  the  rest 
of  the  colony :  but  as  the  people  were  jealous  lest 
his  commission  should  affect  their  laws  and  liber 
ties,  he  resigned  it.  Towards  the  close  of  life  he 
was  again  chosen  governor,  and  in  1678  he  died 
governor  of  the  colony,  being  about  78  years  of 
age.  He  was  prudent  in  his  administration,  and 
active  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  the  common 
wealth. 


COLDEN,  CADWALLADER,  an  eminent  physician, 
botanist,  and  astronomer,  was  born  in  Scotland, 
February  17,  1688.  Having  completed  his  acade 
mical  studies  at  the  university  of  Edinburgh,  he. 
applied  himself  to  medicine  and  mathematics,  and 
wras  eminently  distinguished  by  his  proficiency  in 
both.  Allured  by  the  fame  of  William  Penn's  colo 
ny,  he  came  to  this  country  about  the  year  1708, 
and  practised  physic.  He  returned  to  England 
and  formed  an  acquaintance  with  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  literary  characters  of  England,  with 
whom  he  afterwards  corresponded,  furnishing  them 
with  curious  and  useful  intelligence  respecting 


76 

« 

America.  From  London  he  went  to  Scotland,  and 
married  a  Miss  Christie,  with  whom  he  returned  to 
America  in  1716. 

At  the  strong  solicitations  of  General  Hunter,  in 
1718,  he  settled  in  New- York,  and  was  shortly  after 
appointed  surveyor-general,  and  about  the  same 
time,  master  in  chancery.  On  the  arrival  of  go 
vernor  Burnet,  he  was  honoured  with  a  seat  in  the 
king's  council  of  the  province.  He  afterwards  rose 
to  the  head  of  this  board,  and  in  that  station  suc 
ceeded  to  the  administration  of  the  government  in 
1760.  In  1761,  he  was  appointed  lieutenant-go 
vernor  of  New-York.  He  held  this  commission  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  and  was  repeatedly  at  the 
head  of  government,  in  consequence  of  the  death 
or  absence  of  several  governors. 

His  political  character  was  rendered  very  con 
spicuous,  by  the  firmness  of  his  conduct  during  the 
violent  commotions  which  preceded  the  late  revo 
lution.  His  administration  is  rendered  memorable, 
amongst  other  things,  by  several  charters  of  incor 
poration  for  useful  and  benevolent  purposes.  The 
corporation  for  the  relief  of  distressed  seamen, 
that  of  the  chamber  of  commerce,  and  one  for  the 
relief  of  widows  and  children  of  clergymen,  will 
transmit  his  name  with  honour  to  posterity.  After 
the  return  of  governor  Tryon,  in  1775,  he  retired 
to  his  seat  on  Long-Island,  where  he  died,  Sep 
tember  28,  1776. 

Mr.  Golden  began  early  to  notice  the  plants  of 
America,  classing  and  distinguishing  them  accord 
ing  to  the  custom  of  botany  then  in  use.  When  he 
became  acquainted  with  Linnseus's  system  of  bota 
ny,  he  applied  himself  with  new  delight  to  that 
study.  His  descriptions  of  between  three  and  four 
hundred  American  plants,  were  published  in  the 
Acta  Upsaliensia.  Though  his  principal  attention, 
after  the  year  1760,  was  directed  from  philosophi 
cal  to  political  matters,  yet  he  maintained  with 
great  punctuality  his  literary  correspondence  with 


Linnaeus,  Gronovius,  Collinson,  Dr.  Franklin,  and 
many  other  of  the  literati  of  Europe. 

In  1747,  he  published  in  London,  a  history  of  the 
live  nations  of  Indians. 


COOPER,  SAMUEL,  DD.  an  eminent  divine,  was 
born  in  Boston,  March  28,  1725.  He  was  the  son 
of  the  Rev.  William  Cooper;  and  his  successor  at 
Brattle-street  church.  He  was  graduated  at  Har 
vard  college,  in  1743.  He  early  exhibited  genius 
and  talents  of  the  first  order.  His  erudition  was 
rather  extensive  than  deep,  but  his  ready  mind 
and  brilliant  imagination,  enabled  him  to  shine  in 
company. 

In  1746,  he  was  ordained,  and  was  very  distin 
guished  in  the  sacred  office  which  he  sustained. 
His  sermons  were  evangelical  and  perspicuous, 
and  unequalled  in  America  for  elegance  and 
taste. 

Dr.  Cooper  was  among  the  first  of  those  patriots 
who  took  a  decided  part  in  opposition  to  the  arbi 
trary  exactions  of  Great  Britain.  At  all  times  he 
was  a  leading  character  among  the  American 
whigs.  And  from  the  time  of  the  stamp  act  to  the 
revolutionary  war,  some  of  the  best  political  pieces 
in  the  Boston  Gazette  were  the  effusions  of  his 
pen.  Such  were  his  abilities  and  firmness,  that 
he  was  esteemed  and  consulted  by  some  of  the 
principal  men,  who  were  the  means  of  effecting 
our  revolution.  He  did  much  towards  procuring 
foreign  alliances.  His  letters  were  read  with  great 
satisfaction  in  the  court  of  Versailles,  while  men 
of  the  most  distinguished  characters  in  Europe 
became  his  correspondents.  When  his  country 
had  asserted  her  right  to  independence,  believing 
that  knowledge  is  necessary  to  the  support  of  a 
free  government,  he  was  anxious  to  render  our  li- 


berties  perpetual,  by  promoting  literary  establish  - 
ments.  He  was  one  of  the  foremost  on  laying 
the  foundation  of  the  American  academy  of  arts 
and  sciences,  and  was  chosen  its  first  vice-presi 
dent  in  the  year  1780. 

For  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  fellow  of  Har 
vard  college,  and  in  1774,  was  chosen  its  president. 
His  diploma  of  Doctor  in  Divinity  was  presented 
by  the  university  of  Edinburgh.  After  a  ministry 
of  near  thirty-seven  years,  he  died  December  29, 
1783.  In  his  last  illness  he  expressed  his  great 
satisfaction  in  seeing  his  country  in  peace,  and  in  the 
possession  of  freedom  and  independence,  and  his 
hopes,  that  the  virtue  and  public  spirit  of  his  coun 
trymen,  would  prove  to  the  world,  that  they  were 
not  unworthy  of  these  inestimable  blessings. 


COTTON,  JOHN,  an  eminent  divine,  was  born  in 
Derby,  England,  December  4,  1585.  At  the  age  of 
thirteen,  he  was  admitted  a  member  of  Trinity  col 
lege,  Cambridge,  and  afterwards  removed  to 
Emanuel  college,  where  he  obtained  a  fellowship. 
He  soon  acquired  a  high  reputation  for  scholar 
ship,  and  was  appointed  head  lecturer  in  the  col 
lege.  In  1612,  he  was  appointed  a  minister  of 
Boston,  in  Lincolnshire. 

Mr.  Cotton,  following  the  steps  of  many  wor 
thies,  left  his  own  country,  anxious  to  secure  to 
himself  the  peaceable  enjoyment  of  the  rights  of 
conscience,  though  in  a  wilderness.  He  arrived  in 
this  country  in  company  with  Mr.  Hooker  and  Mr. 
Stone,  September  4,  1633  ;  and  settled  himself  in 
Boston  as  teacher  of  the  church,  in  connexion 
with  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson,  and  acquired  great  celebri 
ty;  and  so  extensive  was  his  usefulness,  that  he 
has  been  called  the  patriarch  of  New-England. 
Mr.  Cotton  began  the  Sabbath  on  Saturday  even- 


79 

ing.  He  gave  religious  instruction,  read  the 
scriptures,  and  then  retired  into  his  study.  The 
Sabbath  he  spent  either  in  his  study,  or  in  the  pul 
pit.  He  was  a  very  accomplished  preacher,  and 
sustained  a  high  reputation  for  learning.  He  was 
a  critic  in  Greek,  and  with  Hebrew  he  was  so  well 
acquainted,  that  he  could  discourse  in  it;  the  La 
tin  he  wrote  with  great  elegance.  Uniting  to  con 
spicuous  talents,  and  a  profound  judgment,  the 
candour  and  mildness  enjoined  in  the  gospel,  and 
the  warmth  of  pious  feeling,  his  instructions  fell 
\vith  the  gentleness  of  the  dew,  and  insinuated 
themselves  imperceptibly  into  the  mind.  His  li 
brary  was  large,  and  he  had  well  studied  the  fathers 
and  schoolmen,  but  he  preferred  Calvin  to  them 
all. 

In  1652,  he  was  invited  to  England  with  Mi% 
Hooker  and  Mr.  Davenport,  to  assist  in  the  assem 
bly  of  divines  at  Westminster  ;  and  was  on  the 
point  of  accepting,  when  he  was  seized  with  an 
inflammation  of  the  lungs,  which  terminated  his 
valuable  life,  December  23,  1652. 

Mr.  Cotton's  publications  were  numerous.  The 
most  celebrated  are  the  works,  which  he  publish 
ed  in  the  controversy  with  Roger  Williams ;  the 
pouring  out  of  the  seven  vials;  an  exposition  of 
Ecclesiastes,  1654 ;  sermons  on  the  first  epistle  of 
John,  folio ;  an  exposition  of  the  Canticles,  &c, 


CUSHING,  THOMAS,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  pa 
triot,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  about  the 
year  1725,  and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college, 
in  1744.  In  early  life  he  was  called  to  respecta 
ble  public  offices.  Having  been  chosen  represen 
tative  of  Boston,  in  the  general  court,  his  patriot 
ism  and  talents  soon  procured  him  the  appoint 
ment  of  speaker,  a  place,  which  his  father,  who 


80 

died  in  1746,  had  occupied  with  great  reputation. 
He  continued  to  fill  this  station,  till  he  was  chosen 
one  of  the  members  of  the  first  congress,  which 
convened  at  Philadelphia,  in  September,  1774. 

In  1779,  he  declined  a  re-election  to  congress, 
and  after  the  adoption  of  the  state  constitution, 
was  appointed  lieutenant-governor,  in  which  office 
he  remained  until  his  death,  which  happened  in 
February,  1788. 

He  was  from  youth  a  professor  of  religion ;  the 
motives  of  the  gospel  governed  him  through  life ; 
and  at  the  hour  of  his  departure  from  the  world, 
its  sublime  doctrines  and  its  promises  gave  him 
support.  He  was  a  man  of  abilities;  a  distin 
guished  patriot;  a  friend  of  learning;  and  scrupu 
lously  devoted  his  time  to  the  public  good. 

There  was  a  time,  when  he  was  considered  in 
Great  Britain  as  the  leader  of  the  whigs  in  this 
country.  The  reason  of  his  being  known  so  much 
in  that  country  was,  that  his  name  was  signed  to 
all  the  public  papers,  as  speaker  of  the  house.  He 
had,  however,  less  political  zeal  than  Otis,  Adams, 
or  Hancock. 


CRAWFORD,  WILLIAM  H.  a  distinguished  states 
man,  was  born  in  Virginia,  about  the  year  1770. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  emigrated  with  his  pa 
rents  to  Georgia.  For  several  years,  Mr.  Craw 
ford  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits,  during 
which  time,  his  towering  genius  made  a  gradual 
advancement  to  the  temple  of  science  and  of 
knowledge,  under  the  private  tuition  of  Mr.  Wad- 
dell,  who  now  presides  over  the  university  of 
Georgia.  On  completing  his  academic  course, 
Mr.  Crawford  took  charge  of  the  academy  in  Au 
gusta  ;  and  employed  the  time  not  required  in  the 
seminary,  in  prosecuting  a  course  of  legal  study. 


which,  by  the  time  he  had   arrived  to  the  age  of 
thirty,  had  fitted  him  for  the  practice  of  the  law. 

Soon  after  his  admission  to  the  bar,  he  was  one 
of  the  three  gentlemen  appointed  to  prepare  a 
digest  of  the  laws  of  the  state,  the  labour  of  which 
was  principally  borne  by  him :  and  the  work,  com 
pleted  in  a  masterly  manner,  was  received  and 
published  by  authority  of  the  legislature.  His  pro 
fessional  career  now  opened  to  him  a  wider  field 
of  emolument  and  reputation.  The  excellence  of 
his  understanding,  and  the  superiority  of  his  in 
tellect,  soon  brought  him  into  public  life,  where 
he  displayed  to  advantage,  those  powers  with 
which  nature  had  so  eminently  gifted  him. 

He  was  now  called  to  a  seat  in  the  legislature 
of  his  state,  which  he  continued  to  fill  for  four 
successive  years,  with  advantage  to  himself  and 
his  constituents. 

In  1807,  he  was  elected  to  the  senate  of  the 
United  States ;  and  took  his  seat  in  that  body,  un 
known  to  every  member  in  it,  and  equally  new  to 
all  the  executive  officers,  having  been  in  no  way 
before  connected  with  the  administration  of  the 
federal  government. 

Pursuing  an  undeviating  course  in  his  politics, 
and  attached  to  the  democratic  party ;  the  unbend 
ing  integrity  of  his  character,  and  his  powerful  ta 
lents,  soon  marked  him  out  as  one  of  the  most  po 
pular  and  prominent  members  of  either  house. 
He  now  became  a  common  centre  of  attraction, 
and  by  his  frankness  and  conciliatory  manners,  at 
tached  to  him  friends  from  both  parties. 

In  the  session  of  1811  and  '12,  his  zeal  and  ta 
lents  in  the  debates  of  that  interesting  period, 
often  brought  him  into  conspicuous  notice,  and  by 
his  firm  and  manly  conduct  was  considered  the 
main  stay  of  the  administration  in  the  senate. 

On  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Eustis,  in  1812,  he 
was  invited  to  take  charge  of  that  office,  but  de 
clined  the  honour. 

11 


82 

In  1813,  on  the  death  of  Mr.  Barlow,  he  was  ap 
pointed  to  succeed  him  as  minister  plenipotentiary 
to  the  court  of  France,  to  which  he  repaired  with 
out  delay. 

The  catastrophe  of  the  great  campaign  of  1813, 
in  Europe,  and  the  glorious  termination  of  our  war 
with  England,  superseded  the  investigations  con 
templated  in  the  mission  to  France,  and  afforded 
Mr.  Crawford  an  early  opportunity  to  return  home, 
in  compliance  with  his  own  arrangements  and  sti 
pulations  at  the  time  of  his  departure  from  Wash 
ington.  He  came  home  in  the  same  vessel  with 
his  past  friend,  the  lamented  Bayard,  and  on  his 
arrival  took  charge  of  the  war  department,  to 
which  he  had  been  appointed  in  anticipation  of  his 
return.  On  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Dallas,  he  was 
transferred  by  president  Madison  to  the  treasury 
department,  and  has  there  continued  to  the  pre 
sent  time. 

In  all  these  various  situations,  he  has  never  fail 
ed  to  discover  the  same  powers  and  energies  of 
mind,  and  the  same  acuteness  and  depth  of  pene 
tration. 


DANFORTH,  THOMAS,  president  of  the  district  of 
Maine,  was  born  in  England  in  1622.  After  his 
arrival  in  this  country,  he  resided  at  Cambridge, 
and  had  great  influence  in  the  management  of  pub 
lic  affairs,  and  conducted  himself  with  great  firm 
ness  and  resolution  in  the  most  difficult  times. 
He  led  the  opposition,  and,  assisted  by  Cooke  and 
Goskin,  he  vindicated  the  chartered  rights  of  his 
country,  and  would  yield  no  privilege  which  the 
charter  gave  them.  Hence  he  was  obnoxious  to 
Randolph,  Andross,  and  to  the  ministry  of  Great 
Britain.  For  the  same  reason  he  was  the  idol  of 
the  populace  in  New-England. 

In  1679,  the  inhabitants  of  the  district  of  Maine 
being  no  longer  attached  to  Massachusetts,  as  a 
county,  elected  him  president  of  the  province. 

He  died  in  1699,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 


DAVENPORT,  JOHN,  first  minister  of  New-Haven, 
and  one  of  the  founders  of  that  colony,  was  born 
in  Coventry,  England,  1597.  He  was  graduated 
at  Brazen-Nose  college,  Oxford,  and  soon  after  be 
gan  to  preach.  Retiring  to  London,  he  became  an 
eminent  preacher  among  the  puritans.  In  1630, 
he  united  with  Dr.  Gouge,  Dr.  Libs,  and  others, 
in  purchasing  impropriations,  and  with  the  profits 
of  them,  to  provide  ministers  for  poor  and  desti 
tute  congregations.  But  archbishop  Laud  took 
umbrage  at  it,  as  favouring  non-conformity,  and 
caused  the  company  to  be  dissolved,  and  the  mo 
ney  to  be  confiscated  to  the  use  of  his  majesty. 
In  1673,  Mr.  Davenport,  in  order  to  escape  the  im 
pending  storm,  came  to  Boston,  and  was  received 


34 

with  great  respect.  In  1638,  he  sailed  with  his  fol 
lowers  for  Quinnipiack,  or  New-Haven,  to  found  a 
new  colony.  On  the  18th  April,  the  first  Sabbath 
after  their  arrival,  he  preached  under  an  oak,  and 
was  their  minister  for  nearly  thirty  years  after 
wards.  In  the  government  which  was  established, 
it  was  ordained,  that  none  but  members  of  the 
church  should  enjoy  the  privileges  of  freemen. 

He  endeavoured  to  establish  a  civil  and  religi 
ous  order,  more  strictly  in  conformity  to  the  word 
of  God,  than  he  had  seen  exhibited  in  any  part  of 
the  world.  His  intrepidity  saved  Whalley  and 
Goffe,  the  judges  of  king  Charles  I.,  who  fled  to 
New-Haven  in  1661,  and  by  his  preaching  instigat 
ed  the  people  to  protect  these  unfortunate  men 
from  their  executioners.  In  1667,  he  succeeded 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson,  as  pastor  of  the  first  church 
in  Boston,  but  his  labours  were  of  short  duration, 
for  he  died  of  an  appoplexy,  March  15,  1670.  He 
was  a  distinguished  scholar,  and  a  man  of  exem 
plary  piety  and  virtue.  Such  was  his  reputation, 
that  he  was  invited  with  Mr.  Cotton,  and  Mr.  Hook 
er,  to  take  a  seat  among  the  Westminster  divines, 
His  portrait  is  preserved  in  the  museum  of  Yale 
college. 

His  publications  are,  "The  Saint's  Anchor,"  "A 
Treatise  upon  Civil  Government,"  "  Sermons,"  &c. 


DAVIES,  SAMUEL,  DD.  president  of  Princeton  col 
lege,  in  New-Jersey,  was  born  November  3,  1724. 
His  father  was  a  planter,  in  the  county  of  Newcas 
tle,  on  the  Delaware,  of  great  simplicity  of  man 
ners,  and  of  great  piety.  He  was  an  only  son. 
His  mother,  an  eminent  Christian,  had  earnestly 
besought  him  of  heaven,  and  believing  him  to  be 
given  in  answer  to  prayer,  she  named  him  Samuel. 
She  superintended  his  education  till  about  his  tenth 


year,  when  he  was  sent  from  home  to  a  school,  at 
which  he  continued  till  his  twelfth  year. 

Soon  after  this  period,  he  experienced  a  change 
of  heart,  and  after  repeated  and  impartial  self-ex 
aminations,  he  attained  a  confidence  respecting  his 
state  which  continued  to  the  close  of  life. 

Having  tasted  the  joys  of  religion,  he  became 
eagerly  desirous  of  imparting  to  his  fellow  sinners 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  With  this  object  be 
fore  him,  he  engaged  with  new  ardour  in  literary 
and  theological  pursuits.  After  undergoing  the 
necessary  examinations,  he  passed,  with  distin 
guished  approbation,  and  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  gospel. 

He  now  applied  himself  to  unfold  and  enforce 
those  precious  truths,  whose  power  he  had  expe 
rienced  on  his  own  heart.  His  fervent  zeal  and 
undissembled  piety,  his  popular  talents,  and  great 
eloquence,  soon  excited  general  admiration.  In 
1747,  the  presbytery  of  Newcastle  appointed  him 
to  officiate  in  four  meeting-houses  in  Hanover 
county,  Virginia,  where  it  pleased  God  to  bless  his 
labours  with  great  success. 

In  1753,  the  synod  of  New-York,  at  the  instance 
of  the  trustees  of  New-Jersey  college,  chose  him 
to  accompany  the  Rev.  Gilbert  Tenent  to  Great 
Britain,  to  solicit  benefactions  for  the  college. 
This  service  he  cheerfully  undertook,  and  execut 
ed  it  with  singular  spirit  and  success.  The  liberal 
benefactions  which  were  received,  placed  the  col 
lege  in  a  respectable  condition.  After  his  return, 
he  again  faithfully  preached  to  his  flock  in  Hano 
ver,  till  1759,  when  he  was  chosen  president  of  the 
college,  as  successor  of  president  Edwards.  He 
hesitated  at  first  to  accept  of  the  appointment,  but 
being  urged  by  repeated  applications,  he  at  length 
accepted  it,  and  was  inducted  into  the  office  in 
July,  1759. 

Here  the  vigour  and  versatility  of  his  genius  were 
strikingly  displayed:  scarcely  had  his  usefulness 


86 

begun  to  be  felt,  when  he  was  called  to  an  eternal 
world.  He  died  February  4th,  1761.  He  was 
succeeded  in  the  office  of  president  by  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Finley. 

Mr.  Davies  was  endowed  with  a  vigorous  un 
derstanding,  a  glowing  imagination,  and  a  reten 
tive  memory.  He  was  bold  and  enterprising,  and 
destined  to  excel  in  whatever  he  undertook.  In 
the  pulpit  he  presented  a  model  of  the  most  strik 
ing  oratory.  When  he  spoke,  he  seemed  to  have 
the  glories  and  terrors  of  the  unseen  world  in  his 
eye ;  and  seldom  preached  without  making  a  visi 
ble  impression  upon  his  hearers. 

His  sermons,  which  fully  exhibit  his  sentiments, 
have  passed  through  a  number  of  editions.  They 
abound  with  the  beauties  and  elegancies  of  expres 
sion,  and  with  the  richest  imagery.  The  best  edi 
tion  is  in  three  volumes  octavo,  1811. 


DECATUR,  STEPHEN,  commodore  in  the  navy  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  on  the  5th  January, 
1779,  on  the  Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland,  whither 
his  parents  had  retired,  whilst  the  British  were  in 
possession  of  Philadelphia. 

In  March,  1798,  he  received  a  midshipman's 
warrant,  and  shortly  after  was  promoted  to  a  lieu 
tenancy. 

He  then  sailed  with  commodore  Dale's  squadron 
to  the  Mediterranean.  On  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the 
Argus,  and  \vas  ordered  to  join  commodore  Pre- 
ble's  squadron,  then  in  the  Mediterranean.  On  his 
arrival  there,  he  was  transferred  to  the  schooner 
Enterprise,  and  proceeded  to  Syracuse,  where  he 
learned  the  fate  of  the  frigate  Philadelphia.  He 
immediately  proposed  to  commodore  Preble,  to 
re-capture,  or  destroy  her.  The  consent  of  the 


commodore  having  been  obtained,  he  sailed  from 
Syracuse  in  the  ketch  Intrepid,  manned  with  seven 
ty  men;     accompanied    by  the   Syren,    lieutenant 
Stewart,  who  was  to  aid  with  his  boats,  and  to  re 
ceive  the  ketch,  in  case  it  should  be  found  expe 
dient  to  use  her  as  a  fircship.     On  the  8th  Februa 
ry,  he  arrived  before  Tripoli,  but  the  Syren  in  con 
sequence  of  a  change  of  wind,  was  thrown  six  miles 
off  from  the  Intrepid.     Notwithstanding  this  mis 
fortune,  lieutenant  Decatur,  determined  not  to  await 
a  junction,  lest  a  delay  might  be  fatal  to  the  enter 
prise,  and  entered  the  harbour  of  Tripoli  within  a 
half  gun   shot  of  the   bashaw's  castle,  and  of  the 
principal    batteries,  beside  the    enemy's   cruisers, 
who  lay  around  the  frigate — such  were  the  immi 
nent  perils  whicl)  his  daring  courage  so  nobly  sur 
mounted.     About  11  o'clock  at  night,  he  boarded 
the  frigate  Philadelphia,  and  in  a  few  minutes  gain 
ed  entire  possession.    The  enemy  had  by  this  time 
opened  his  batteries  upon  him,  and  a  number  of 
launches  were  seen  rowing  towards  him.    He  then 
ordered  the  ship  to  be  set  on  fire,  and  such  was 
the  rapidity  of  the  flames,  that  it  was  with  the  ut 
most  difficulty  they  preserved  the  ketch.     At  this 
critical  moment   a  breeze  sprung  up,  blowing  di 
rectly  out  of  the  harbour,  which  in  a  few  minutes 
carried  him  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy's  guns, 
and  they  made  good  their  retreat  without  the  loss 
of  a  single  man,  and  with  but  four  wounded. 

For  this  gallant  and  romantic  achievement  he 
was  made  post-captain,  with  the  consent  of  the 
officers  over  whose  heads  he  was  raised. 

In  the  ensuing  spring  commodore  Preble  made 
an  attack  upon  Tripoli,  when  one  of  the  divisions 
were  commanded  by  captain  Decatur.  In  this  ac 
tion,  he  acted  with  undaunted  bravery.  He  took 
two  of  the  enemy's  vessels,  the  commander  of  one 
of  which  had  treacherously  shot  his  brother,  and 
while  making  for  the  harbour,  captain  Decatur  pur 
sued  him  and  avenged  the  death  of  his  brother  so 


basely  murdered;  and  afterwards  succeeded  in 
getting  with  both  of  his  prizes  to  the  squadron. 

The  next  day,  he  received  the  highest  commen 
dation,  in  a  general  order,  from  commodore  Pre- 
ble. 

Captain  Decatur  was  now  transferred  to  the 
command  of  the  frigate  Congress,  and  returned 
home  in  her  when  peace  was  concluded  with  Tri 
poli. 

When  the  frigate  United  States  was  put  in  com 
mission,  captain  Decatur  took  command  of  her, 
previous  to  which,  he  had  the  command  of  the 
southern  squadron. 

The  late  war  with  Great  Britain  gave  him  air- 
other  opportunity  of  adding  to  the  laurels  he  had 
won.  On  the  25th  October,  1812,  in  latitude  29, 
N.  longitude  29,  30,  W.  he  fell  in  with  his  majes 
ty's  ship  Macedonian,  mounting  forty-nine  guns. 
After  an  action  of  one  hour  and  an  half,  the  ene 
my  surrendered,  with  a  loss  of  36  killed,  and  68 
wounded — while  the  loss  of  the  Americans  was 
only  4  killed,  and  7  wounded.  He  now  carried  his 
prize  into  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  from  thence  she 
afterwards  proceeded  to  New- York,  and  was  re 
fitted. 

In  May,  1813,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  pass 
the  enemy,  and  to  go  to  sea,  commodore  Decatur 
was  obliged  to  make  New-London  harbour,  where 
he  was  pursued  by  the  enemy's  blockading  squa 
dron,  and  was  closely  invested  by  them. 

In  January,  1815,  commodore  Decatur  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  command  of  the  ship  President. 
On  the  14th,  he  embraced  the  only  possible  oppor 
tunity  to  escape  the  enemy's  squadron,  and  go  to 
sea.  On  the  morning  of  the  15th,  he  discovered 
the  enemy  nearly  ahead,  one  of  which,  the  Endy- 
mion  frigate,  as  it  afterwards  appeared,  commenced 
a  fire  on  the  President,  which  was  so  spiritedly 
returned,  that  in  less  than  two  hours  she  was  so 
crippled,  and  favoured  by  a  breeze,  the  President 


89 

with  all  sail  set  went  out  of  the  action,  and  had 
every  probability  of  escaping,  had  thick  weather 
set  in,  of  which  there  was  every  appearance.  On 
the  contrary  it  continued  fine,  and  enabled  three 
other  of  the  enemy's  ships  in  less  than  two  hours 
afterwards  to  approach  within  half  gun  shot: — be 
ing  now  assailed  by  so  superior  a  force,  without 
any  probability  of  escape,  commodore  Decatur  be 
ing  influenced  by  motives  of  humanity,  ordered  a 
signal  of  surrender  to  be  made.  He  was  imme 
diately  taken  possession  of  by  the  Fomone  and 
Tenedos,  each  of  thirty-eight  guns,  and  Majestic 
razee  of  sixty-two  guns,  and  carried  into  Bermuda. 

On  the  22d  February,  he  arrived  at  New-Lon 
don,  Connecticut. 

In  the  summer  of  1815,  commodore  Decatur 
was  despatched  with  a  squadron  to  the  Mediterra 
nean,  to  protect  the  American  commerce,  and  to 
reduce  the  regency  of  Algiers  to  a  pacific  disposi 
tion.  He  arrived  oft"  Cape  de  Gatt  on  the  17th 
June,  where  he  had  the  good  fortune  to  fall  in  with 
the  Algerine  admiral,  and  after  an  action  of  twen 
ty-five  minutes  captured  his  ship,  mounting  forty- 
nine  guns.  On  the  19th,  after  a  chase  of  three 
hours,  he  captured  an  Algerine  brig  of  twenty-two 
guns.  On  the  29th  June,  he  arrived  before  Al 
giers,  and  concluded  a  treaty  of  peace  on  advanta 
geous  terms.  After  having  visited  the  other  Bar- 
bary  ports  of  Tunis  and  Tripoli,  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  in  November  following.  President 
Madison  soon  after  appointed  him  a  member  of 
the  board  of  commissioners  at  Washington,  for  the 
navy  of  the  United  States.  It  was  while  in  the 
discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  board,  that  he  was 
challenged  to  single  combat,  with  pistols,  by  com 
modore  James  Barron,  and  was  mortally  wounded 
at  the  first  fire.  He  expired  on  the  night  of  the 
22d  March,  1820. 

Before  he  expired,  he  openly  opposed  the  prin 
ciple  of  duelling,  and  threw  himself  upon  the  mercy 

12 


of  that  God  whose  laws  he  had  violated.  Commo 
dore  Decatur  was  pleasing  in  his  person,  of  an  in 
telligent  and  interesting  countenance.  His  man 
ners  were  unassuming  and  engaging,  uniting  the 
polish  of  the  gentleman  with  the  frank  simplicity 
of  a  sailor. 

As  a  naval  officer,  he  has  never  been  surpassed. 
The  most  minute  branches  of  naval  science  never 
escaped  his  attention,  and  the  most  abstruse  never 
exceeded  his  comprehension.  The  various  ma- 
nceuvrings  of  a  ship  or  squadron,  were  as  fami 
liar  with  him,  as  the  evolutions  of  an  army  to  the 
scientific  military  officer.  Whether  encountering 
the  enemy  in  the  humble  galley,  or  breasting  the 
shock  of  battle  in  the  majestic  ship,  he  bore  into 
action,  as  if  the  genius  of  victory  hovered  over 
him,  and  gave  him  conquest  in  anticipation.  When 
in  the  midst  of  an  engagement,  his  own  personal 
safety  never  occupied  a  thought.  His  fearless  soul 
was  engrossed  with  the  safety  of  his  crew  and  his 
ship,  and  the  destruction  of  the  enemy.  But  the 
moment  the  battle-fray  was  ended,  he  was  chang 
ed  into  a  ministering  spirit  of  mercy.  Over  his 
slain  enemy,  he  dropped  a  tear — to  a  wounded 
one,  he  imparted  consolation — he  mingled  his  sighs 
with  the  groans  of  the  dying,  and  rendered  every 
honour  to  the  gallant  dead. 


DICKINSON,  JOHN,  a  distinguished  political  writer, 
and  a  friend  to  his  country,  was  the  son  of  Samuel 
Dickinson,  Esq.,  of  Delaware.  In  1764,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  assembly  of  Pennsylvania; 
and  in  1765,  was  returned  a  member  to  the  general 
congress.  In  November,  1767,  he  began  to  pub 
lish  his  celebrated  letters  against  the  acts  of  the 
British  parliament,  laying  duties  on  paper,  glass, 
&c.  They  supported  the  liberties  of  his  country, 


91 

and  contributed  much  to  the  American  revolution. 
In  1774,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first 
congress ;  and  the  petition  to  the  king,  which  was 
adopted  at  this  time,  was  written  by  him,  and  is 
considered  an  elegant  and  spirited  composition. 
In  June,  1776,  he  opposed  openly,  and  upon  prin 
ciple,  the  declaration  of  independence,  when  the 
motion  was  considered  by  congress.  His  argu 
ments  were  answered  by  John  Adams,  who  advo 
cated  a  separation  from  Great-Britain.  The  part 
which  Mr.  Dickinson  took  in  this  debate,  occasion 
ed  his  recall  from  congress,  as  his  constituents  did 
not  coincide  with  his  views.  After  being  absent 
several  years,  and  finding  his  constituents  unaltera 
bly  fixed  in  their  system  of  independence,  he  fell 
in  with  it,  and  was  as  zealous  in  supporting  it  in 
congress  about  the  year  1780,  as  any  of  the  mem 
bers.  In  1782,  he  was  elected  president  of  Penn 
sylvania.  In  1785  he  was  succeeded  in  the  office 
by  Dr.  Franklin.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Dela 
ware,  where  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  old 
congress ;  and  of  which  state  he  was  also  president. 
He  died  at  Wilmington,  February  15,  1808,  at  an 
advanced  a^e. 

O 

He  filled  with  ability  the  various  high  stations  in 
which  he  was  placed.  The  welfare  of  his  country 
was  ever  dear  to  him,  and  he  was  ready  to  make 
any  sacrifice  for  its  promotion.  He  invariably  ma 
nifested  an  attachment  to  a  republican  government, 
and  supported  those  men  and  those  measures,  which 
he  believed  most  friendly  to  republican  principles. 

His  political  writings  have  been  collected  and 
published  in  two  volumes,  octavo,  1801. 


DICKINSON,  JONATHAN,  first  president  of  New- 
Jersey  college,  was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in 
1706.  Two  years  afterwards,  he  was  settled  minister 


of  the  first  Presbyterian  church  in  Elizabeth-Town? 
New-Jersey.  Of  this  church  he  was  for  near  forty 
years  the  joy  and  glory.  The  charter  of  the  col 
lege  of  New-Jersey  having  been  enlarged  by  go 
vernor  Belcher,  in  October,  1746,  Mr.  Dickinson 
was  appointed  president.  It  however  did  not  long 
enjoy  his  superintendence,  for  it  pleased  God  to 
call  him  away  from  life,  October  7,  1747,  in  the 
sixtieth  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Dickinson  was  a  man  of  learning,  of  distin 
guished  talents,  and  celebrated  as  an  eloquent 
preacher.  His  writings  possess  very  considerable 
merit,  and  are  numerous. 


DALLAS,  ALEXANDER  JAMES,  secretary  of  the 
treasury  of  the  United  States,  was  born  June  21, 
1759,  and  was  educated  at  the  university  of  Edin 
burgh,  Scotland. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  the  year  1783,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  two  years 
after,  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme  court 
of  Pennsylvania. 

For  several  years  his  practice  not  being  very  ex 
tensive,  he  prepared  for  the  press  the  cases  adjudg 
ed  in  the  courts  of  Pennsylvania,  before  and  since 
the  revolution. 

In  1791,  he  wras  appointed  secretary  of  the  com 
monwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  same  year 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  American  philosophi 
cal  society. 

In  1796,  he  published  an  edition  of  the  lawTs  of 
Pennsylvania,  with  notes. 

In  1801,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Jeffer 
son,  attorney  of  the  United  States  for  the  eastern 
district  of  Pennsylvania,  and  resigned  his  secreta 
ryship.  This  commission  was  confirmed  by  the 
senate  in  1802,  and  he  continued  connected  in  this 
way  with  the  government,  until  October,  1814,  when 


93 

president  Madison  appointed  him  to  the  office  of 
secretary  of  the  treasury  of  the  United  States. 

In  1815,  he  undertook  the  additional  and  very 
delicate  trust  of  secretary  at  war,  and  executed 
with  acknowledged  success,  the  invidious  task  of 
reducing  the  army  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  month  of  November,  1816,  peace  being 
restored,  the  finances  arranged,  the  embarrassment 
of  the  circulating  medium  daily  diminishing,  and 
soon  to  disappear  under  the  influence  of  the  na 
tional  bank,  which  it  had  so  long  been  his  labour 
to  establish,  he  resigned  his  honourable  trust,  and 
resumed  the  practice  of  the  law  in  Philadelphia. 

At  this  place  he  suddenly  closed  his  career,  Ja 
nuary  16,  1817. 

Mr.  Dallas  possessed  a  mind  highly  gifted  by 
nature,  and  richly  cultivated  with  a  variety  of 
knowledge. 

As  an  advocate,  he  was  learned,  ingenious,  and 
excursive,  and  at  times  very  eloquent. 

As  a  statesman,  his  talents  were  of  the  highest 
order ;  bold,  comprehensive,  and  profound,  and  ca 
pable  of  grasping  whatever  subject  he  attempted. 


DAVIE,  WILLIAM  RICHARDSON,  one  of  the  signers 
of  the  federal  constitution,  was  born  June  20, 1756. 
This  distinguished  patriot,  at  the  commencement 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  was  a  student  at  Princeton 
college,  where  he  finished  his  education,  and  gra 
duated  in  the  ever  memorable  year  of '76.  On  his 
return  home,  he  went  to  Salisbury,  North-Carolina, 
and  commenced  the  study  of  the  law.  The  war 
continuing,  contrary  to  the  expectation  which  ge 
nerally  prevailed  when  it  began,  he  could  no  longer 
resist  his  ardent  wish  to  plant  himself  among  the 
defenders  of  his  country.  Without  delay  he  join 
ed  the  southern  armv,  and  we  find  him  at  the  bat- 


94 

tie  of  Stono,  as  brigade-major  of  cavalry,  covering 
the  retreat  of  Lincoln's  army.  At  the  period  of 
Gates's  defeat,  his  zeal  and  activity  had  advanced 
him  to  the  command  of  a  legionary  corps,  in  whose 
equipment  he  expended  the  last  shilling  of  an  es 
tate  bequeathed  to  him  by  his  uncle.  On  the  fatal 
16th  August,  he  was  hastening  with  his  corps  to 
join  the  army,  when  he  met  our  dispersed  and 
flying  troops.  He  nevertheless  advanced  towards 
the  conqueror,  and  was  essentially  serviceable,  not 
only  in  preventing  pursuit,  but  in  recapturing  the 
baggage  and  some  of  our  men.  Convinced  that 
the  victorious  enemy  would  seek  and  strike  at  the 
brigade  under  Sumpter,  he,  with  laudable  zeal,  im 
mediately  despatched  a  confidential  soldier  with 
the  intelligence  of  Gates's  defeat,  and  then  reluc 
tantly  retired.  He  had  previously  under  the  com 
mand  of  Sumpter,  fought  both  at  Hanging-Rock  and 
Rocky-Mount.  In  consideration  of  his  eminent 
services,  the  governor  of  North-Carolina  promot 
ed  him  to  the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

General  Davie  was  not  only  distinguished  as  an 
intelligent,  but  as  an  intrepid  soldier.  His  delight 
was  to  lead  a  charge;  and  possessing  great  bodily 
strength,  united  with  uncommon  activity,  is  said  to 
have  overcome  more  men  in  personal  conflict  than 
any  individual  in  the  service. 

His  knowledge  of  the  country  and  of  its  re 
sources,  induced  general  Greene,  on  assuming  the 
command  of  the  southern  army,  to  intrust  him  with 
the  charge  of  the  quarter-master  general's  depart 
ment. 

He  afterwards  employed  him  as  a  negotiator 
with  the  legislature  of  North-Carolina,  for  supplies 
of  men,  the  more  effectually  to  resist  the  enemy. 
In  both  these  capacities  he  acquitted  himself  with 
consummate  ability,  and  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  his  general. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  home,  and 
resumed  the  practice  of  the  law.  He  very  soon 


95 

rose  to  great  eminence ;  and  in  a  few  years,  became 
one  of  its  principal  leaders  and  ornaments.  He 
was  possessed  of  great  sagacity,  profound  know 
ledge,  and  masculine  eloquence. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed  by  the  legislature  of 
North-Carolina,  a  member  of  the  grand  convention 
which  met  at  Philadelphia,  to  frame  the  present 
constitution.  He  was  afterwards  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  the  state  convention,  which  met  to  ratify 
and  adopt  it,  and  was  one  of  its  ablest  champions, 
and  most  ardent  supporters. 

In  1799,  he  was  elected  governor;  the  duties  of 
which  station  he  performed  with  his  accustomed 
firmness  and  wisdom.  He  was  not,  however,  per 
mitted  to  remain  long  in  that  station.  His  country 
had  higher  claims  on  his  talents  and  services. 

The  venerable  Mr.  Adams,  then  president  of  the 
United  States,  anxions  to  make  one  more  effort  to 
put  an  end  to  the  differences  which  subsisted  be 
tween  this  country  and  France,  associated  general 
Davie  with  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Mr.  Murray,  as  his 
ambassadors  to  that  court.  These  gentlemen,  on 
their  arrival  in  France,  found  the  tyrannical  and 
corrupt  government  of  the  directory,  which  had 
behaved  so  haughtily  to  general  Pinckney  and  his 
colleagues,  overturned  by  Bonaparte ;  who  though 
possessed  of  more  power  than  his  predecessors, 
was  desirous  to  conciliate  the  United  States.  Com 
missioners  were  appointed  to  discuss  the  subjects 
of  dispute,  and  their  deliberations  ended  in  a  con 
vention,  which  healed  the  breach,  and  saved  the 
United  States  from  being  dragged  into  the  vortex 
of  European  quarrels. 

General  Davie,  who  had,  during  his  stay  in 
France,  witnessed  and  deplored  the  effects  of  the 
revolution  upon  that  country,  upon  his  return  to 
the  United  States,  endeavoured  to  impress  upon  all 
Americans,  but  chiefly  upon  young  men  of  ardent 
minds,  and  promising  talents,  the  vast  importance 
of  moderation  and  toleration  in  republican  govern  - 


96 

ments ;  without  which,  they  can  scarcely  hope  to 
escape  the  snares  of  ambitious  demagogues,  and 
the  ruin  of  violent  dissentions.  General  Davie  con 
templated  the  character  of  Bonaparte  with  great 
attention.  He  saw  him  often,  and  conversed  with 
him  freely.  He  considered  him  as  a  man  of  first 
rate  talents  as  a  warrior,  and  of  great  research  as 
a  statesman.  But  he  regarded  him  also,  as  a  man 
of  unbounded  ambition,  restrained  by  no  principles, 
human  or  divine.  His  opinion  of  him  afterwards 
was  verified,  by  his  assumption  of  imperial  and 
despotic  power. 

General  Davie  continued  to  reside  at  his  beautiful 
seat,  on  the  banks  of  the  Catawba,  to  which  travel 
lers  and  visiters  were  constantly  attracted  by  his 
open  hospitality,  his  dignified  manners,  and  ele 
vated  character.  The  affability  of  his  deportment 
gave  easy  access  to  all.  But  no  person  approach 
ed  him,  however  distinguished  by  his  talents  or 
character,  who  did  not  speedily  feel,  that  he  was  in 
the  presence  of  a  very  superior  man.  The  good 
he  did  survives  him;  and  he  has  left  a  noble  ex 
ample  to  the  youth  of  his  country,  to  encourage 
and  to  stimulate  them  in  the  honourable  career  of 
virtue  and  of  exertion. 


DWIGHT,  TIMOTHY,  S.  T.  D.  LL.  D.  president 
and  professor  of  divinity  of  Yale  college,  was  born 
at  Northampton,  in  the  state  of  Massachusetts, 
May  4,  1752.  At  a  very  early  age,  he  exhibited 
astonishing  proofs  of  intellect,  and  was  admitted 
into  the  freshman  class  of  Yale  college  at  the  age 
of  thirteen. 

In  1769,  he  received  the  honours  of.  the  college, 
under  the  most  promising  auspices  of  future  use 
fulness  and  celebrity. 

In  1771,  he  was  elected  a  tutor  of  Yale,  and  in 
the  following  year  was  admitted  to  the  degree  of 


1 :  ET.    TIMOTHY     1 )  W '.(  (VH  T,    S.T.B. 


97 

master  of  arts.  In  1776,  he  married  Miss  Mary 
Woolsey,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Woolsey,  Esq.  of 
Long  Island,  and  in  the  following  year  gave  up 
his  place  as  tutor,  in  the  college.  He  then  accept 
ed  the  appointment  of  chaplain  in  the  American 
army,  in  the  division  commanded  by  general  Put 
nam.  His  continuance  with  the  army,  however, 
was  short,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  his  fa 
ther  which  happened  in  1777.  His  father  leaving 
a  numerous  family  unprovided  for,  he  went  to  re 
side  with  them,  discharging  at  the  same  time  every 
filial  and  fraternal  duty.  At  this  place,  Northamp 
ton,  he  established  an  academy,  which  gained  him 
great  reputation.  At  the  close  of  the  revolutiona 
ry  war,  he  was  chosen  to  represent  the  town  of 
Northampton  in  the  state  legislature :  here  he  ac 
quitted  himself  in  a  manner  highly  honourable  to 
himself,  and  so  as  to  give  the  strongest  impres 
sion  of  his  integrity,  and  sacred  regard  to  justice. 

About  this  time  he  had  several  flattering  offers 
made  him  from  diiferent  towns  in  Massachusetts 
to  settle  as  a  clergyman,  all  of  which  he  saw  fit  to 
decline.  In  1783,  he  accepted  an  invitation  to  set 
tle  as  a  clergyman  in  the  parish  of  Greenfield,  in 
the  town  of  Fairfield,  in  Connecticut.  Here  he 
ably  and  faithfully  dispensed  the  word  of  God  for 
the  space  of  ten  years.  At  this  place,  he  esta 
blished  an  academy  for  the  reception  of  youth  of 
both  sexes,  which  soon  gained  a  reputation,  per 
haps,  unparalleled  in  any  similar  institution  in  this 
country.  It  was  indebted  for  its  celebrity  to  no 
extraneous  aid  whatever;  and  rested,  for  support, 
solely  on  the  talents  and  exertions  of  the  founder. 

On  the  death  of  president  Styles,  in  May,  1795, 
the  public  attention  was  immediately  turned  to 
wards  Dr.  Dwight,  as  his  successor.  He  was  ac 
cordingly  elected  president  of  Yale  college,  and 
inducted  into  office  the  September  following. 
Very  soon  the  college  began  to  flourish  beyond  all 
former  example,  and,  perhaps,  its  reputation  was 

13 


98 

never  more  extensive  than  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
At  the  time  he  entered  on  the  duties  of  the  presi 
dency,  the  office  of  professor  of  divinity  was  va 
cant;  and  as  several  ineffectual  attempts  had  been 
made  to  procure  a  proper  incumbent,  Dr.  Dwight 
engaged  to  discharge  the  duties  of  this  office  like 
wise.  A  few  years  after,  he  was  regularly  elected 
to  the  divinity  chair ;  which  he  filled,  till  his  death, 
with  unparalleled  reputation  and  success. 

Dr.  Dwight  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
his  station,  both  as  president  and  professor  of  the 
college,  to  the  age  of  sixty-five,  when  after  a  long 
and  painful  illness,  in  the  accents  of  fervent  prayer, 
he  yielded  his  spirit  to  God  who  gave  it,  on  the 
morning  of  the  8th  January,  1817. 

Dr.  Dwight  was  distinguished  for  a  mind  formed 
for  the  highest  efforts  of  intellectual  vigour,  a  clear 
and  discriminating  judgment — a  retentive  memo 
ry — and  an  imagination  strong  and  active.  As  a 
man  of  literature,  his  information  was  various  and 
extensive,  although,  from  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
on  account  of  the  weakness  of  his  eyes,  almost 
all  his  reading  was  done  by  the  aid  of  others,  and 
almost  all  his  writing  by  an  amanuensis. 

As  a  preacher,  he  possessed  very  uncommon  ex 
cellences  :  with  a  person  and  attitude  dignified  and 
commanding — a  voice  deep  toned  and  susceptible 
of  every  modulation — an  elocution  clear,  flowing, 
and  impetuous — he  never  failed  to  command  the 
most  respectful  and  profound  attention. 

Dr.  Dwight  left  prepared  for  the  press,  and 
which  have  since  been  stereotyped  and  published 
in  this  country,  as  well  as  Europe,  and  have  al 
ready  gone  through  many  editions  : — "  A  complete 
View  of  Theoretical  and  Practical  Divinity,"  five 
volumes,  8vo.  No  other  monument  need  be  made 
to  perpetuate  his  genius  and  talents,  as  this  work 
has  already  established  his  fame.  Another  work 
of  his  has  also  been  published,  entitled  "An  His 
torical,  Topographical,  arid  Statistical  Account  of 


99 

the  states  of  New-England,  and  of  the  state  of 
New- York;"  containing  much  valuable  information 
of  that  section  of  the  United  States,  and  must  ever 
be  esteemed  a  valuable  record  for  posterity.  Dr. 
Dwight  published  in  his*  lifetime  two  epic  poems, 
viz.  "Greenfield  Hill,"  and  the  "Conquest  of  Ca 
naan,"  besides  sermons  and  other  minor  pieces. 

Dr.  Dwight  had  the  honour  of  being  a  member 
of  most  of  the  literary  and  philosophical  societies 
in  this  country.  He  was  likewise  honoured  with 
the  degree  of  doctor  in  divinity  by  the  college  at 
Princeton,  and  with  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws 
by  the  university  of  Cambridge. 


100 


EDWARDS,  JONATHAN,  DD.  president  of  Prince 
ton  college,  New-Jersey,  an  eminent  divine  and 
acute  metaphysician,  was  the  son  of  the  Reverend 
Timothy  Edwards,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Wind 
sor,  Connecticut.     He  was  born  October  5,  1703, 
and  was  graduated  at  Yale  college,  in  1720.     His 
uncommon  genius  discovered  itself  early,  and  while 
yet  a  boy,  he  read  Locke  on  the  Understanding  with 
a  keen  relish :    moral  and  theological  researches 
afforded  him  the  highest  gratification.    During  two 
years  after  taking  his  first  degree,  he  remained  at 
college,  preparing  himself  for  the   ministry.      In 
1724,  he  was  appointed  a  tutor  in  Yale  college, 
and  continued  in  that  office  for  which  he  was  well 
qualified,  till  1726 — when  he  was  called  to  preach 
at  Northampton,  Massachusetts.     Here,  he  was  or 
dained  as  colleague  with  his  grandfather,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Stoddard,  February  15,  1727.     He  continued 
in  this  place   for   more  than   twenty-three  years, 
during  which  time  the  church  was  much  enlarged. 
Unhappily  for  the  church,  in  1744,  a  difference  of 
opinion  arose  upon  the  subject  "that  none  but  the 
children  of  communicants  have  a  right  to  baptism." 
This  subject  struck  at  the  root  of  some  immorali 
ties  which  had  crept  in  among  the  members  of  his 
church,  of  which  it  was  his  design  to  correct,  and 
to   bring  them    to    repentance :    a   secret   dislike, 
however,  was  excited  in  the  minds  of  many,  and  it 
was  soon  blown  into  a  flame.     When  he  settled  in 
Northampton,   he  was  not  perfectly  convinced  of 
the  correctness  of  the  principle,  which  was  sup 
ported  by  his  colleague,  the  Rev.  Mr.   Stoddard, 
that  unconverted  persons  had  a  right  in  the  sight 
of  God   to   the  sacrament   of  the   Lord's  Supper. 
After  diligent  inquiry,  he  was  convinced  that  the 
principle  was  erroneous  and  dangerous.     His  in 
vestigations  led  him  to  believe,   that  the   supper 


101 

was  instituted  for  the  true  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
that  none  but  those,  who  were  considered  as  such, 
should  be  permitted  to  partake  of  it.     Considering 
it  his  duty  to  vindicate  the  truth,  and  in  full  view 
of  consequences  that  followed,  he  openly  avowed 
his  sentiments,  cheerfully  sacrificing  every  worldly 
interest  to  promote  the  purity  of  the  church,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Redeemer.     The  dispute  was  so 
great,  and  the  contention  so  warm,  that  he  was 
violently  driven  away  in  disgrace  from  a  people; 
who  once  would  almost   have  plucked  out  their 
eyes  and  given  them  to  him.     They  would  listen 
to  no  explanation  whatever.     He  was  dismissed  by 
an  ecclesiastical  council,  June  22,  1750.     In  this 
scene  of  trouble  and  abuse,  Mr.  Edwards  exhibit 
ed  the  truly  Christian  spirit.     His  calmness,  and 
meekness,  and  humility,  and  yet  firmness,  and  re 
solution,  were  the  subjects  of  admiration  to   his 
friends. 

In  August,  1751,  he  was  invited  to  settle  in  the 
church  at  Stockbridge,  which  he  accepted.     Here 
he  continued  six  years,  making  himself  useful  to 
the  people,  both  Indians  and  the  English.     In  this 
retired  situation  he  found  much  leisure  to  prose 
cute  his  theological  and  metaphysical  studies,  and 
to  produce  works  which  have  given  him  a  distinc 
tion  among  the   greatest  men  of  the   age,  and    a 
name   honoured    throughout  Europe.      Thus  was 
his  calamitous  removal  from  Northampton  the  oc 
casion,  under  the  wise  providence  of  God,  of  his 
imparting  to  the  world  the  most  important  instruc 
tions,   whose  influence  has  been    extending,  and 
whose  good  effects  may  still  be  felt  for  ages.     In 
January,  1758,  he  reluctantly  accepted  the  office 
of  president  of  the  college  at  Princeton,  as  suc 
cessor  of  his  son-in-law,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Burr.     In 
this  station,  which  he  adorned  by  his  reputation, 
and  where  he  might  have  been  very  useful,  if  it 
had  pleased   heaven  to   have    spared  his  life,  he 


102 

continued  but  a  short  time.     He  died  March  2'2, 
1758,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

A  short  time  before  he  died,  a  few  friends  who 
had  collected  around  his  bed  to  see  him  breathe 
his  last,  were  lamenting  the  loss  which  the  college 
would  sustain,  he  said,  to  their  astonishment, 
"Trust  in  God,  and  ye  need  not  fear."  After 
which  he  expired  with  as  much  composure,  as  if 
he  had  fallen  asleep.  He  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Davies. 

As  a  minister,  a  husband,  a  father,  an  author, 
and  a  scholar,  he  was  greatly  distinguished,  rever 
ed,  and  beloved.  His  death  was  universally  la 
mented.  Though  many  differed  from  him  in  theolo 
gical  opinions,  yet  all  respected  his  piety  and 
learning.  As  a  preacher,  he  was  pathetic,  seri 
ous,  and  experimental. 

All  his  researches  he  pursued  with  his  pen  in 
his  hand,  and  the  number  of  his  miscellaneous 
writings  which  he  left  behind  him,  was  above  four 
teen  hundred.  His  Essay  on  the  Freedom  of  theWill 
is  considered  as  one  of  the  greatest  efforts  of  the 
human  mind,  and  gives  him  a  name  among  the 
greatest  metaphysicians.  Several  professors  of 
divinity  in  the  Dutch  universities  sent  him  their 
thanks  for  the  assistance  he  bad  given  them  in 
their  inquiry  into  some  doctrinal  points,  having 
carried  his  own  further  than  any  author  they  had 
ever  seen. 

This  book  is  written  in  opposition  "to  Armini- 
an  principles,"  and  the  "Pelagian  heresy;"  and 
has  baffled  all  opposition.  His  "  Treatise  upon 
the  Affections"  is  another  work  of  great  celebrity. 
A  complete  collection  of  his  writings  has  been 
published  in  eight  volumes  octavo. 


EDWARDS,  JONATHAN,  DD.  president  of  Union 
college  at  Schenectady,  New-York,  was  the  son  of 
the  preceding.  He  was  born  at  Northampton,  Mas 
sachusetts,  June  6,  1745.  He  was  educated  at 
Princeton  college,  and  graduated  in  1765.  After 
studying  divinity  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Bellamy,  he 
was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  association  of  minis 
ters  in  the  county  of  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  Octo 
ber,  1766.  In  1767,  he  was  appointed  tutor  of 
Princeton  college.  In  1769,  he  was  called  to  offici 
ate  in  the  church  at  White-Haven,  and  continued 
there  till  May,  1795,  when  he  was  dismissed  by  an 
ecclesiastical  council  at  his  own  request,  and  the 
request  of  his  people.  In  January,  1796,  he  was 
installed  pastor  of  the  church  at  Colebrook,  in  Litch 
field  county.  In  June,  1799,  he  was  elected  presi 
dent  of  Union  college,  in  which  office  he  died  Au 
gust  1,  1801.  Dr.  Edwards  was  a  man  of  uncom 
mon  powers  of  mind.  He  has  seldom  been  surpass 
ed  in  acuteness  and  penetration,  and  is  an  author 
of  very  considerable  reputation.  His  answer  to  Dr. 
Chauncey,  his  dissertation  on  the  liberty  of  the  will, 
in  reply  to  Dr.  West,  and  his  sermons  on  the  atone 
ment  of  Christ,  are  considered  as  works  of  great 
and  peculiar  merit,  and  prove  him  to  be  a  critic  and 
a  scholar. 

He  also  edited  from  the  MSS.  of  his  father,  the 
history  of  the  work  of  redemption,  two  volumes  of 
sermons,  and  two  volumes  of  observations  on  im 
portant  theological  subjects. 


ELLIOT,  JOHN,  commonly  called  the  apostle  to  the 
Indians,  exhibited  more  lively  traits  of  an  extraor 
dinary  character  than  we  find  in  most  ages  of  the 
church,  or  in  most  Christian  churches.  He  who 
could  prefer  the  American  wilderness  to  the  plea 
sant  fields  of  Europe,  was  ready  to  wander  through 
this  wilderness  for  the  sake  of  doing  ^ood.  To  be 


104 

active  was  the  delight  of  his  soul;  and  he  went  to 
the  hovels  which  could  not  keep  out  the  wind  and 
the  rain,  where  he  laboured  incessantly  among  the 
aboriginals  of  America,  though  his  popular  talents 
gave  him  a  distinction  among  the  first  divines  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  born  in  England  in  1604. 
After  receiving  his  education  at  the  university  of 
Cambridge,  he  was  for  some  time  the  instructer  of 
youth.  In  1631,  he  arrived  in  this  country,  and  in 
the  following  year  was  settled  as  a  teacher  of  the 
church  in  Roxbury.  His  benevolent  labours  were 
not  confined  to  his  own  people.  Having  imbibed 
the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel,  his  heart  was  touched 
with  the  wretched  condition  of  the  Indians,  and  he 
became  eagerly  desirous  of  making  them  acquaint 
ed  with  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  There  were 
at  the  time  when  he  began  his  labours  near  twenty 
tribes  of  Indians  within  the  limits  of  the  English 
planters.  The  Massachusetts  language,  in  which 
he  translated  the  bible  and  several  practical  pieces, 
serving  the  purpose  of  a  missionary ;  the  first  thing 
he  did  was  to  learn  this  language  of  the  people. 
An  old  Indian,  who  could  speak  English,  was  taken 
into  his  family,  and  by  conversing  freely  with  him, 
he  learnt  to  talk  it,  and  soon  was  able  to  reduce  it 
to  some  method ;  and  became  at  last  so  much  mas 
ter  of  it,  as  to  publish  a  grammar  which  is  printed 
in  some  editions  of  the  Indian  bibles. 

In  October,  1646,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  to 
an  assembly  of  Indians  at  Nonantum,  the  present 
town  of  Newton.  After  the  sermon  was  finished, 
he  desired  them  to  ask  any  questions  which  they 
thought  proper.  One  immediately  inquired  whether 
Jesus  Christ  could  understand  prayers  in  the  Indian 
language]  Another,  how  all  the  world  became  full 
of  people  if  they  were  all  once  drowned]  A  third 
asked,  how  there  could  be  the  image  of  God,  since 
it  was  forbidden  in  the  commandment  1  At  another 
time  when  he  preached  to  them,  an  old  man  asked 
with  tears  in  his  eves,  whether  it  was  not  too  late  for 


1U5 

him  to  repent  and  turn  unto  God1!  A  second,  how 
it  came  to  pass,  that  sea  water  was  salt,  and  river 
water  fresh;  how  the  English  came  to  differ  so 
much  from  the  Indians  in  the  knowledge  of  God 
and  Jesus  Christ,  since  they  all  at  first  had  but  one 
father;  and  why,  if  the  water  is  larger  than  the 
earth,  it  does  not  overflow  the  earth!  It  was  his 
custom  to  spend  weeks  together  to  instruct  them  in 
divine  things,  and  how  they  could  improve  their  con 
dition  upon  the  earth.  He  partook  with  them  their 
hard  fare,  with  locks  wet  with  the  dews  of  the  night, 
and  exposed  to  the  attacks  from  the  beasts  of  the 
forest ;  or  to  their  spears  and  arrows  who  were 
fiercer  than  wolves,  and  more  terrible  in  their  howl- 
ings.  None  of  these  things  moved  him ;  like  a  brave 
soldier  he  fought  the  good  fight  of  faith,  bearing 
every  suffering  with  cheerfulness,  and  every  pain 
with  resignation.  They  often  threatened  him  when 
alone  with  them  in  the  wilderness  with  evil,  if  he 
did  not  desist  from  his  labours,  but  he  was  a  man  not 
to  be  shaken  in  his  purpose  by  the  fear  of  danger. 
He  said  to  them :  "  I  am  about  the  work  of  the  great 
God,  and  my  God  is  with  me ;  so  that  I  neither  fear 
you  nor  all  the  sachems  in  the  country ;  and  do  you 
touch  me  if  you  dare." 

In  his  missionary  tours  he  planted  a  number  of 
churches,  and  visited  all  the  Indians  in  Massachu 
setts  and  Plymouth  colonies,  pursuing  his  way  as 
far  as  Cape  Cod.  The  first  Indian  church  formed 
after  the  manner  of  the  congregational  churches  in 
New-England,  was  established  at  Natick  in  1660. 
Mr.  Elliot  afterwards  administered  to  them  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  supper.  He  made  every  exertion  to 

Eromote  the  welfare  of  the  Indian  tribes ;  he  stimu- 
ited  many  servants  of  Jesus  to  engage  in  the  mis 
sionary  work,  and  lived  to  see  twenty-four  aborigi 
nal  fellow-preachers  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  In 
1661,  he  published  the  New  Testament  in  the  Indi 
an  language. 

He  possessed  an  influence  over  the  Indians  which 

14 


106 

no  other  missionary  could  obtain.  During  the  war 
with  the  sachem  Philip,  1675,  he  appears  in  a  cha 
racter 'very  interesting  to  the  community.  He  was 
their  shield.  He  plead  their  cause  with  great  firm 
ness,  and  prevented  their  extermination  by  an  infu 
riate  multitude. 

After  living  eighty-six  years  in  this  world  of  trial, 
the  spirit  of  this  excellent  divine  took  its  flight  to  a 
better  world,  May  20, 1690.  Few  of  his  family  were 
alive  to  lament  his  death ;  but  he  was  lamented  by 
the  whole  family  of  virtue,  and  by  all  the  sincere 
friends  of  religion.  Though  he  lived  many  years, 
they  were  filled  with  usefulness;  succeeding  gene 
rations  mentioned  his  name  with  profound  respect; 
his  labours  were  applauded  in  Europe  and  America ; 
and  all  wrho  now  contemplate  his  active  services, 
his  benevolent  zeal,  his  prudence,  his  upright  con 
duct,  his  charity,  are  ready  to  declare  his  memory 
precious.  Such  a  man  will  be  handed  down  to  fu 
ture  times,  an  object  of  admiration  and  love,  and 
appear  conspicuous  in  the  historic  page,  when 
distant  ages  celebrate  the  worthies  of  New-Eng 
land. 

Besides  his  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  In 
dian  tongue,  he  published  the  "  Glorious  Progress  of 
the  Gospel  Among  the  Indians,  &c."  1649 — "  The 
Tears  of  Repentance,"  1653 — "A  Farther  Account 
of  the  Gospel  Among  the  Indians,"  1659 — "  The 
Christian  Commonwealth,"  1660 — "  The  Jews  in 
America,"  1660,  intended  to  prove  that  the  Indians 
were  descendents  of  the  Jews — "  The  Harmony  of 
the  Gospels,"  1678,  &c. 


ELLSWORTH,  OLIVER,  chief  justice  of  the  United 
States,  and  a  distinguished  statesman,  was  born 
at  Windsor,  Connecticut,  April  29,  1745,  and  was 


lor 

.graduated  at  Princeton  in  1766.  He  soon  after 
wards  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law,  in 
which  profession  he  attained  an  acknowledged 
eminence. 

In  1777,  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  conti 
nental  congress.     In  1780,  he  was  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  the  council  of  his  native  state,  where  he  re 
mained  till  1784,  when  he  was  appointed  a  judge 
of  the  superior  court.     In  1787,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  convention  which  framed  the  fede 
ral  constitution.     In  this  assembly,  illustrious  for 
talents,  erudition,  and  patriotism,  he  held  a  dis 
tinguished  place.     His  exertions  essentially  aided 
in  the  production  of  an  instrument,  which,  under 
the  divine  blessing,  has  been  the  main  pillar  of 
American  prosperity  and  glory.    He  was  afterwards 
appointed  a  member  of  the  state  convention,  and 
contributed  his  efforts  towards  procuring  the  rati 
fication  of  that  instrument.     In  1789,  when  the  fe 
deral  government  was  organized,  he  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  senate.     With  his  accustomed  dig 
nity  he  filled  this  elevated  station  till  1796,  when 
he  was  nominated  by  president  Washington,  chief 
justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  United  States. 
This  office  he  discharged  with  great  reputation* 
In  1799,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Adams  en 
voy  extraordinary  to  France,  for  the  purpose  of  ac 
commodating   existing  difficulties,   and   settling  a 
treaty  with  that  nation.     In  conjunction  with  go 
vernor  Davie  and  Mr.  Murray,  his  associates,  he 
negotiated  a  treaty,  which,  though  it  did  not  answer 
the  just  claims  and  expectations  of  the  American 
public,  was  undoubtedly  the  best  that  could  be 
procured.     In  1800,  he  transmitted  a  resignation 
of  his  office  of  chief  justice.     On  his  return  to  his 
native   state,   his  fellow  citizens,  still  desirous  to 
enjoy  his  extraordinary  talents,  appointed  him  chief 
justice  of  the  state.     This  office,  however,  he  de 
clined,  on  account  of  his  bad  state  of  health.     He 
died  November  26,  1807, 


108 

Mr.  Ellsworth  was  an  accomplished  advocate, 
an  upright  legislator,  an  able  and  impartial  judge, 
a  wise  and  incorruptible  patriot ;  who  devoted  eve 
ry  faculty,  every  literary  acquisition,  and  almost 
every  hour  of  his  life,  to  his  country's  good. 

In  private  life,  he  was  the  model  of  every  social 
and  personal  virtue. 


EATON,  THEOPHILUS,  first  governor  of  New-Ha 
ven  colony.  He  arrived  in  this  country  in  1637, 
in  company  with  Mr.  Davenport,  who  was  compell 
ed  "  to  seek  a  refuge  from  the  storm  of  these  cold 
and  rude  corners  of  the  earth." 

Governor  Eaton  was  one  of  the  most  opulent 
men  who  came  into  this  country.  His  company  pre 
ferring  to  be  a  distinct  colony,  made  a  purchase  of 
a  large  territory,  and  built  a  town,  which  is  now 
called  New-Haven.  He  was  then  elected  governor, 
which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  1657,  in  the 
sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

"  It  was  the  admiration,"  saith  Dr.  Mather,  "  of 
all  spectators,  to  behold  the  discretion,  the  gravity, 
and  equity,  with  which  he  managed  all  public  af 
fairs.  He  carried  in  his  countenance  a  majesty 
which  cannot  be  described;  and  in  his  dispensa 
tions  of  justice,  he  was  a  mirror  for  the  most  imi- 
table  partiality." 

Dr.  Trumbull  further  observes,  "  there  was  no 
man,  among  the  first  planters  of  New-England, 
who  had  a  more  general  acquaintance  with  public 
business,  or  who  sustained  a  fairer  character." 
He  was  one  who  signed  the  confederation  of  the 
United  Colonies  in  1643.  There  was  none  who 
exerted  themselves  more  for  the  prosperity  of 
New-England,  or  whose  name  appears  more  con- 


109 

spicuous  on  the  pages  of  history  of  this  period. 
His  monument  was  erected  at  the  public  expense, 
and  is  now  in  good  preservation.  It  has  upon  it 
the  following  lines : 

Eaton,  so  meek,  fo  fam'd,  so  just ; 
The  Phoenix  of  our  world,  here  hides  his  dust— 
This  uame  forget,  New-England  never  must. 


110 


FULTON,  ROBERT,  a  celebrated  civil  engineer,  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Little-Britain,  in  the  county  of 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1765.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  only  three  years  of  age. 
After  receiving  an  English  education,  he  was  placed 
with  a  jeweller  in  Lancaster,  with  the  intention  of 
acquiring  the  trade.  This  pursuit  however  did  not 
prevent  him  from  cultivating  and  exercising  his 
talent  for  painting,  which  he  afterwards  pursued 
with  great  success.  With  the  advice  of  his  nu 
merous  friends,  he  made  a  visit  to  London,  and 
placed  himself  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  West: 
he  immediately  became  an  inmate  of  that  gentle 
man's  house,  and  very  soon,  his  companion  and 
friend.  The  friendship  thus  formed,  subsisted  una 
bated  until  the  death  of  Fulton. 

For  some  years  after  leaving  the  family  of  Mr. 
West,  he  employed  himself  as  a  painter.  He  did 
not  however  feel  himself  entirely  satisfied  with  his 
progress  in  the  art,  and  was,  at  length,  wholly  with 
drawn  from  its  further  cultivation,  by  his  ruling 
taste  for  the  mechanic  arts. 

As  early  as  the  year  1793,  he  brought  forward  his 
project  of  propelling  boats  by  steam,  with  much 
confidence;  and  in  September  following,  he  com 
municated  his  ideas  on  steam  navigation  to  lord 
Stanhope,  who  acknowledged  it  by  letter,  dated 
October,  1794. 

In  1794,  the  British  government  granted  him 
patents  for  a  double  inclined  plane,  to  be  used  in 
transportation ;  for  a  machine  for  spinning  flax ; 
and  another  for  making  ropes,  &c.  &c. 

In  the  year  1796,  he  submitted  to  the  British 
board  of  agriculture,  a  plan  for  the  improvement  of 
canal  navigation,  which  was  favourably  received, 
and  for  which  he  received  a  patent  in  the  year  1797. 


Ill 

He  then  went  to  France,  with  a  view  to  introduce 
it  into  that  country. 

In  1798,  pursuing  this  interesting  subject  with 
great  zeal,  he  published  a  series  of  letters,  address 
ed  to  earl  Stanhope,  in  which  he  clearly  exhibits 
the  advantages  to  nations  arising  from  canals  and 
home  improvements  generally,  simple  taxation,  and 
free  trade. 

On  his  arrival  at  Paris,  a  friendship  commenced 
between  him  and  Joel  Barlow,  which  ended  only 
with  their  lives.  At  the  invitation  of  Barlow,  Ful 
ton  took  up  his  residence  at  the  hotel  of  the  former, 
where  he  continued  to  remain  during  seven  years. 
In  this  time  he  studied  the  high  mathematics,  phy 
sics,  chemistry,  and  perspective.  He  also  acquired 
the  French,  Italian,  and  German  languages. 

Barlow,  about  this  time,  was  preparing  for  the 
press  his  elegant  edition  of  the  Columbiad,  which 
he  afterwards  dedicated  in  terms  of  glowing  affec 
tion  to  Fulton.  The  splendid  plates  which  adorn 
this  work,  were,  executed  under  the  superintendence 
of  Fulton. 

In  December,  1797,  he  made  his  first  experiment 
on  sub-marine  explosion  on  the  river  Seine,  in  com 
pany  with  Barlow. 

In  December,  1806,  he  returned  to  New- York,  and 
immediately  recommenced  his  experiments  on  sub 
marine  war.  He  also  directed  his  attention  to  steam 
navigation. 

After  several  successful  experiments,  he  publish 
ed,  in  1810,  his  interesting  work,  entitled,  "  Torpe 
do  War,"  which  contains  a  full  account  and  clear 
explanation  of  his  system. 

At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  Hon.  R.  R.  Liv 
ingston,  who  had  pointed  out  to  him  the  incalcula 
ble  advantages  which  would  arise  out  of  a  perfect 
system  of  steam  navigation,  had  'the  desired  eifect 
of  arousing  the  energies  of  his  genius  to  a  subject 
which  he  had  not  bestowed  much  attention  upon 
-since  the  year  1793. 


1.12 

After  his  return  to  the  United  States  in  1806,  he 
and  Mr.  Livingston  immediately  commenced  build 
ing  a  steam-boat  called  the  "  Clermont,"  which  af 
terwards  navigated  the  Hudson  at  the  rate  of  five 
miles  per  hour.  From  this  memorable  era  in  the 
life  of  Mr.  Fulton,  the  art  of  navigating  by  steam 
continued  to  advance  towards  perfection,  and  the 
last  boat  built  under  his  direction  was  better  than 
any  that  had  preceded  it. 

It  is  but  justice  to  remark  in  this  place,  that  the 
first  idea  which  had  gone  abroad  of  joining  the 
western  lakes  and  the  Atlantic  ocean  by  canals,  ori 
ginated  with  Mr.  Fulton,  and  was  promulgated  by 
him  in  answer  to  a  letter  of  the  secretary  of  war  in 
1807.  He  afterwards,  in  1808,  in  reply  to  several 
queries  proposed  to  him  by  Mr.  Gallatin,  then  sec 
retary  of  the  treasury,  with  regard  to  public  roads 
and  canals,  he  goes  at  large  into  the  subject,  dis 
playing  a  great  fund  of  knowledge  and  the  most  en 
lightened  and  comprehensive  views. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war  he  again 
turned  his  attention  to  his  favourite  project  of  sub 
marine  warfare,  and  after  various  successful  expe 
riments,  obtained,  in  1813,  a  patent  for  a  "  sub-ma 
rine  battery." 

It  was  from  his  sub-marine  battery  that  he  con 
ceived  the  plan  of  the  "  steam  man  of  war." 

This  invention  was  readily  patronised  by  govern 
ment,  and  in  March,  1814,  a  law  was  passed  to  build 
one;  the  cost  estimated  at  $320,000.  He  was  ap 
pointed  the  engineer,  and  in  little  more  than  four 
months  from  the  laying  of  the  keel,  she  was  launch 
ed  at  New-York  under  the  name  of  Fulton  the  first. 
Since  her  equipment  she  is  allowed  to  be  the  most 
formidable  engine  for  warfare  that  human  ingenui 
ty  has"ever  contrived. 

The  last  work  on  which  he  was  engaged  was  a 
modification  of  his  sub-marine  boat ;  her  model  was 
approved,  and  he  had  received  the  sanction  of  the 
executive  to  construct  one  at  New- York,  but  unfor- 


113 

tunately  his  country  had  to  lament  his  death  before 
he  had  completed  it.  He  terminated  his  valuable 
life  on  the  24th  February,  1815,  a  martyr  to  his  ef 
forts  in  the  cause  of  science. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  about  six  feet  high.  His  person 
was  slender,  but  well  proportioned  and  well  formed. 
His  features  were  strong,  and  of  manly  beauty. 

In  all  his  domestic  and  social  relations,  he  was 
zealous,  kind,  generous,  liberal,  and  affectionate. 
He  knew  of  no  use  for  money,  but  as  it  was  subser 
vient  to  charity,  hospitality,  and  the  sciences.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  a  member  of  the  prin 
cipal  literary  and  scientific  societies  in  the  United 
States. 


FRANKLIN,  BENJAMIN,  LL.  D.  F.  R.  S.  a  cele 
brated  philosopher  and  statesman,  was  born  in 
Boston,  January  17,  1706.  At  the  age  of  eight 
years  he  was  put  to  the  Boston  grammar  school, 
and  from  the  aptness  which  he  displayed,  his  fa 
ther  conceived  the  idea  of  educating  him  for  the 
church,  but  wanting  the  means,  he  took  him  home 
at  the  age  of  ten,  to  assist  him  in  his  business. 
At  the  age  of  twelve  he  was  put  an  apprentice  to 
his  elder  brother  J.  Franklin,  who  then  published 
the  Boston  Gazette.  This  paper  was  the  second 
which  appeared  in  America. 

It  was,  however,  the  paper  called  the  "C  our  ant" 
afterwards  emitted  by  his  brother,  which  became  so 
famous  for  the  effusions?  of  his  brother  Benjamin. 
Young  Franklin  early  evinced  an  uncommon  taste 
for  reading,  and  an  attachment  to  books.  His 
writings  brought  him  into  notice,  and  gave  him 
encouragement  to  continue  his  literary  labours. 
When  only  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  left  his  na 
tive  town,  and  came  to  Philadelphia,  an  entire 
stranger^  without  letters,  and  with  but  a  slender 
provision  of  money.  He  made  his  entrance  on 

15 


114 

Sunday  morning,  and  sauntered  through  the  streets 
in  search  for  lodgings,  his  pockets  stuffed  with 
shirts  and  stockings,  and  a  large  roll  of  bread  un 
der  each  arm,  and  eating  a  third.  "  Who  would 
have  dreamed,"  exclaims  Brissot  de  Warville  in 
his  panegyric,  "that  this  miserable  wanderer  would 
become  one  of  the  legislators  of  America ;  the  or 
nament  of  the  new  world;  the  pride  of  modern 
philosophy ;  and  an  ambassador  to  one  of  the  rich 
est,  most  powerful,  and  enlightened  nations  of  the 
universe  f  His  active  mind  and  habits  of  industry 
soon  procured  for  him  employment  as  a  composi 
tor  in  one  of  the  two  printing  establishments  in 
Philadelphia  at  that  time.  Sir  William  Keith,  the 
governor,  having  been  informed  that  Franklin  was 
a  young  man  of  promising  talents,  invited  him  to 
his  house,  and  treated  him  in  the  most  friendly 
manner.  He  advised  him  to  enter  into  business 
for  himself,  and  assured  him  of  his  assistance.  At 
his  request  he  went  to  London  to  complete  his 
knowledge  of  the  business,  and  to  purchase  a  set 
of  types.  On  his  arrival  there  he  found  himself 
deceived,  and  was  left  to  find  subsistence  by  his 
own  exertions.  Undismayed  by  misfortune  and 
disappointment,  he  obtained  employment  as  a  jour 
neyman  printer,  and  by  living  economically,  he 
saved  a  greater  part  of  his  wages. 

After  a  residence  of  eighteen  months  in  Lon 
don,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  in  October,  1726, 
as  a  clerk  to  Mr.  Denham,  a  merchant.  On  the 
death  of  his  friend  in  the  following  year,  he  engag 
ed  with  Mr.  Keimer,  as  foreman  in.  his  printing- 
office. 

It  was  not  long  before  a  disagreement  took 
place  with  Keimer,  whom  he  left,  and  entered  into 
partnership  with  Mr.  Meredith;  but  in  1729,  he 
dissolved  the  connexion  with  him.  He  then  pur 
chased  of  Keimer  a  paper,  and  by  the  assistance 
of  friends,  was  enabled  to  conduct  it  in  such  a 
manner  as  attracted  much  attention.  In  1730,  he 


115 

married  a  Miss  Read.  In  1731,  he  carried  into 
effect  the  plan  of  forming  a  library,  which  after 
wards  became  the  foundation  of  that  noble  institu 
tion  the  present  Library  Company  of  Philadelphia. 
In  1732,  he  began  to  publish  "Poor  Richard's  Al 
manac."  Of  this  work  he  sold  ten  thousand  annu 
ally.  The  wise  sayings  of  Poor  Richard  have  been 
repeated,  and  copied,  and  printed  in  many  works. 
They  have  also  been  translated  into  many  foreign 
languages.  As  a  treatise  of  public  and  private 
economy  it  was  considered  one  of  the  best  extant. 
His  paper  he  published  nearly  on  the  same  plan, 
enriching  it  with  ethical  discourses,  and  careful 
ly  excluding  from  it  "  all  libelling  and  personal 
abuse." 

At  the  age  of  twenty-seven  he  acquired  the 
French,  Italian,  and  Spanish  languages,  so  as  to 
read  them  with  considerable  fluency. 

In  1736,  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  general 
assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  following 
year  postmaster  of  Philadelphia. 

In  1736,  he  put  into  successful  operation  the 
"American  Philosophical  Society,"  and  may  also 
be  considered  as  the  founder  of  the  university  of 
Pennsylvania.  By  his  influence  and  zeal  he  pro 
cured  a  grant  from  the  legislature  for  the  establish 
ment  and  endowment  of  the  Pennsylvania  hospi 
tal.  And,  indeed,  such  were  his  patriotic  and  phi 
lanthropic  exertions,  in  contributing  to  the  orna 
ment  and  benefit  of  Philadelphia,  that  his  name 
may  be  cherished  as  its  second  founder.  In  1747, 
he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  assembly,  and 
continued  in  this  station  ten  years.  Here  he  ex 
erted  all  his  influence  in  opposing  the  proprietary 
claims.  Among  the  writers  upon  politics,  and  the 
persons  who  have  acted  an  important  part  in  the 
revolution  of  their  country,  Dr.  Franklin  has  been 
highly  esteemed,  and  conspicuously  distinguished. 
At  this  period  he  began  his  electrical  experiments, 
which  was  onlv  the  commencement  of  a  more  bril- 


116 

liant  and  successful  career.  His  great  discovery 
was  the  identity  of  the  electric  fluid  and  lightning. 
His  splendid  experiments  were  justly  admired  and 
venerated  in  all  parts  of  Europe,  and  in  a  short 
time  they  rilled  the  world  with  his  fame.  In  1754, 
he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners,  who 
attended  the  congress  at  Albany,  to  devise  the  best 
means  of  defending  the  country  against  the  French. 
He  drew  up  a  plan  which  was  afterwards  adopted 
by  congress. 

In  1757,  he  was  sent  to  England  as  agent  for 
Pennsylvania,  and  while  there,  was  appointed  agent 
of  Massachusetts,  Maryland,  and  Georgia.  Dur 
ing  his  residence  abroad,  he  formed  connexions 
with  persons  of  rank  and  influence.  It  was  now  he 
began  to  receive  the  reward  of  his  philosophical 
merit.  He  was  elected  with  especial  honours,  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Society,  and  was  honoured 
with  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  by  the  universi 
ties  of  St.  Andrew's,  Edinburgh  and  Oxford,  and 
his  correspondence  was  sought  by  the  most  emi 
nent  philosophers  of  Europe. 

In  1762,  he  returned  home,  and  received  thanks 
for  his  services. 

In  1764,  he  was  again  sent  to  London  as  an  agent 
for  the  province,  to  procure  a  change  of  the  pro 
prietary  government. 

In  1766,  he  was  examined  at  the  bar  of  the  house 
of  commons,  respecting  the  repeal  of  the  stamp 
act;  his  conduct  on  this  occasion  was  firm  and 
manly.  During  the  following  year  he  visited  Hol 
land,  Germany,  and  France,  and  became  acquaint 
ed  with  most  of  the  literary  characters  of  Europe. 

In  1775,  he  returned  to  America,  and  the  day 
after  his  arrival,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  con 
gress.  In  this  body  he  laboured  with  the  utmost 
zeal,  to  bring  about  the  ever  memorable  declara 
tion  of  independence,  to  which  he  afterwards  af 
fixed  his  name,  on  the  4th  July,  1776.  Towards 
the  latter  end  of  July,  he  was  chosen  president  of 


117 

the  convention  which  met  in  Philadelphia,  to  form 
a  new  constitution  for  Pennsylvania.  In  October 
following,  he  was  sent  to  France  to  assist  in  a  ne 
gotiation  in  connexion  with  Mr.  Arthur  Lee,  and 
Silas  Deane.  He  had  much  influence  in  forming 
the  treaty  of  alliance  and  commerce  with  that  na 
tion,  February  6,  1778. 

In  conjunction  with  Mr.  Adams,  Mr.  Jay,  and 
Mr.  Laurens,  he  signed  the  provisional  articles  of 
peace,  November  30, 1782,  and  the  definitive  treaty, 
September  30,  1783. 

In  1785,  at  his  request  to  retire,  congress  ap 
pointed  Mr.  Jefferson  to  succeed  him  as  ambassa 
dor  at  the  court  of  France.  In  the  interval  he  ne 
gotiated  and  signed  two  treaties  of  amity  and  com 
merce,  one  with  Sweden,  and  the  other  with  Prus 
sia.  During  his  residence  in  France,  he  was  the 
idol  of  the  literary  and  political  circles  of  Paris, 
while  his  genius  and  talents  were  held  in  the  high 
est  estimation.  On  his  arrival  in  this  country,  he 
was  received  with  universal  applause,  and  the  citi 
zens,  in  order  to  express  their  approbation  of  his 
invaluable  services  abroad,  immediately  appointed 
him  president  of  the  supreme  executive  council. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  grand  conven 
tion,  which  framed  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

In  1788,  he  retired  wholly  from  public  life,  in 
consequence  of  the  complication  of  diseases  which 
for  a  number  of  years,  had  laid  waste  his  strength, 
and  now  entirely  prevented  him  from  attending  to 
business.  For  the  last  twelve  months,  he  was  con 
fined  almost  entirely  to  his  bed.  On  approaching 
the  confines  of  another  world,  he  reasoned  like  a 
philosopher,  and  often  expressed  a  grateful  sense 
of  the  many  blessings  received  from  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  had  raised  him  from  his  humble  origin 
to  such  consideration  among  men. 

On  the  17th  April,  1790,  in  the  eighty- fourth 
year  of  his  age,  he  departed  this  life  in  the  city  of 


118 

Philadelphia.  Almost  to  the  last  moment  his  men 
tal  faculties  remained  unimpaired,  and  with  a  pious 
resignation  he  commended  his  spirit  to  the  will  of 
heaven.  After  his  death  the  posthumous  honours 
conferred  on  his  memory  and  services,  were  but 
little  short  of  enthusiastic. 

Congress  ordered  a  general  mourning  for  him  in 
America  for  the  space  of  one  month.  Obsequies 
were  solemnized  in  Paris,  and  funeral  panegyrics 
delivered  by  order  of  its  municipality.  The  na 
tional  assembly  of  France  decreed  a  mourning  of 
three  days,  and  addressed  a  letter  of  condolence  to 
the  American  congress,  in  which  they  style  him  the 
Nestor  of  America. 

His  works,  philosophical,  political,  and  literary, 
have  been  published  in  England,  France,  and  Ame 
rica. 


FLOYD,  WILLIAM,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  decla-. 
ration  of  independence,  was  born  on  Long-Island, 
New-York,  December  17,  1734. 

He  received  a  liberal  education,  and  afterwards 
confined  himself  to  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  At 
an  early  period  he  embarked  in  the  controversy 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies,  and  as  it 
grew  more  animated,  he  became  more  conspicu 
ous  as  an  advocate  of  the  rights  of  the  people.  It 
was  doubtless  from  these  considerations  that  he 
was  appointed  a  delegate  from  New-York  to  the 
congress  which  met  at  Philadelphia  in  1774. 

In  1775,  he  was  re-elected  and  took  his  seat  in 
the  general  congress,  which  met  in  May,  1776. 
During  this  interesting  and  protracted  session,  he 
was  actively  and  constantly  employed  on  the  numer 
ous  and  important  committees  which  particularly 
occupied  a  greater  part  of  the  attention  of  con 
gress. 

In  1777,  he  was  elected  a  senator  under  the  new 


119 

constitution  of  this  state.     Of  this  body  he  was  a 
leading  and  influential  member. 

In  1778—9,  he  served  as  a  delegate  to  the  gene 
ral  congress;  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  admi 
ralty,  and  of  the  board  of  treasury. 

He  was  annually  re-elected  to  congress  until 
1783,  when  he  declined  a  re-election. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  senate,  upon  the  adop 
tion  of  the  federal  constitution :  he  was  likewise  a 
member  of  the  first  congress,  which  met  at  New- 
York,  on  the  4th  March,  1789.  At  the  close  of 
this  session,  he  now  retired  from  public  life,  to  the 
more  peaceful  shades  of  domestic  retirement. 

Subsequently  he  served  thrice  as  a  presidential 
elector,  and  once  as  a  senator.  On  the  1st  August, 
1821,  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  at  the  advanc 
ed  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 


FAYETTE,  MARQUIS  DE  LA,  a  major-general  in  the 
army  of  the  United  States. 

The  name  and  character  of  this  illustrious  French 
nobleman,  will  occupy  a  conspicuous  place  in  our 
biographic  annals,  and  be  honoured  by  posterity  no 
less  for  his  enthusiastic  love  of  liberty,  than  for  his 
heroism  and  military  renown. 

In  the  year  1776,  at  the  immature  age  of  nine 
teen,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Americans,  and 
nobly  resolved  to  afford  our  country  all  possible  as 
sistance  by  his  personal  services  and  influence.  At 
this  era,  the  affairs  of  America  were  bordering  on 
despair,  and  were  represented  in  France  as  so  de 
plorable,  that  it  might  be  supposed  sufficient  to  re 
press  the  most  determined  zeal.  Reports  were  pro 
pagated  in  that  country,  that  our  army,  reduced  to 
a  mere  rabble,  was  flying  before  an  army  of  30,000 
regulars  ;  nor  was  this  very  wide  from  the  reality. 
In  consequence  of  this,  our  commissioners  found  it 


120 

impossible  to  procure  a  vessel  to  convey  the  Mar 
quis  and  their  own  despatches  to  congress ;  they 
could  not  therefore  feel  justified  in  encouraging  his 
bold  contemplated  enterprise.  This  embarrass 
ment,  however,  had  the  effect  of  increasing,  rather 
than  of  restraining  his  youthful  ardour  and  heroism. 

He  at  length  imparted  to  the  commissioners  his 
determination  to  purchase  and  fit  out  a  vessel  to 
convey  himself  and  their  despatches  to  America. 
This  project  was  deemed  so  extraordinary  and  im 
portant,  that  it  did  not  fail  to  engage  universal  at 
tention.  The  French  court  had  not  then  declared 
even  a  friendly  intention  towards  America,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  was  extremely  cautious  of  giving  of 
fence  to  the  British  government.  Orders  were 
therefore  given,  prohibiting  the  departure  of  this 
nobleman,  and  vessels  were  even  despatched  to  the 
West-Indies  to  intercept  him,  in  case  he  should 
take  that  route.  The  Marquis  was  well  apprized 
that  he  exposed  himself  to  the  loss  of  his  fortune  by 
the  laws  of  France ;  and  that,  should  he  fall  into 
the  hands  of  the  English,  on  his  passage,  he  would 
be  liable  to  a  confinement  of  uncertain  duration,  and 
without  a  prospect  of  being  exchanged. 

These  considerations,  however,  did  not  deter  him 
from  the  attempt;  and  bidding  adieu  to  his  amiable 
consort,  and  numerous  endeared  connexions,  and 
trusting  to  good  fortune  to  favour  his  elopement,  he 
embarked,  and  in  due  time  arrived  safe  in  Charles 
ton,  in  the  summer  of  1776.  He  landed  soon  after 
the  noble  defence  made  by  General  Moultrie,  at  the 
fort  on  Sullivan's  Island.  Charmed  with  the  gal 
lantry  displayed  by  that  general  and  his  brave  troops, 
the  Marquis  presented  him  with  clothing,  arms,  and 
accoutrements,  for  one  hundred  men.  He  met  with 
a  cordial  reception  from  our  congress,  and  they  im 
mediately  accepted  his  proffered  services.  He  in 
sisted  that  he  would  receive  no  compensation,  and 
that  he  would  commence  his  services  as  a  volun 
teer. 


This  noble  philanthropist  was  received  into  the 
family  of  the  eommander-m-chief,  where  a  strong 
mutual  attachment  was  contracted,  and  he  has  often 
been  called  the  adopted  son  of  Washington.  July 
31,  1777,  congress  resolved,  that,  "whereas  the 
Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  out  of  his  great  zeal  to  the 
cause  of  liberty  in  which  the  United  States  are  en 
gaged,  has  left  his  family  and  connexions,  and  at 
his  own  expense  come  over  to  offer  his  services  to 
the  United  States  without  pension  or  particular  al 
lowance,  and  is  anxious  to  risk  his  life  in  our  cause — 
Resolved,  that  his  service  be  accepted,  and  that  in 
consideration  of  his  zeal,  illustrious  family,  and  con 
nexions,  he  have  the  rank  and  commission  of  major- 
general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States."  At  the 
battle  of  Brandywine,  September  1777,  the  Mar 
quis  exhibited  full  proof  of  his  undaunted  bravery 
and  military  character,  and  received  a  wound  in  his 
leg.  In  May  1778,  with  a  select  corps  of  2,500  men, 
he  crossed  the  Schuylkill  and  took  post  about 
twelve  miles  in  front  of  our  army  at  Valley  Forge  ; 
while  at  this  place  the  enemy  formed  a  design  of 
surprising  him,  but  fortunately  the  Marquis  gained 
intelligence  of  their  approach,  and  by  a  prompt  de 
cision  effected  his  retreat,  and  recrossed  the  river  in 
season  to  defeat  their  design. 

In  August  1778,  the  Marquis  repaired  to  Rhode- 
Island  to  assist  in  the  expedition  under  General 
Sullivan,  in  conjunction  with  the  French  fleet,  and 
he  received  the  particular  approbation  and  applause 
of  congress  for  his  judicious  and  highly  important 
services.  In  January,  1779,  the  Marquis  embark 
ed  at  Boston,  on  a  voyage  to  France. 

He  returned  again  in  May,  1780,  bringing  the 
joyful  intelligence  that  a  French  fleet  and  army 
would  soon  arrive  on  our  coast. 

Through  his  great  zeal  for  the  cause  of  the  Unit 
ed  States,  he  had  exerted  his  influence  with  his 
government,  no  longer  fearful  of  giving  offence  to 
the  English,  to  afford  money  and  troops,  and  other 

* 


important  succours.  He  was  soon  put  at  the  head 
of  a  select  corps  of  light  infantry  for  the  service  of 
the  campaign.  This  afforded  him  a  new  opportu 
nity  for  the  display  of  his  munificence.  He  pre 
sented  to  every  officer  under  his  command  an  ele 
gant  sword,  and  his  soldiers  were  clothed  in  uni 
form  principally  at  his  expense.  He  infused  into 
this  corps  a  spirit  of  pride  and  emulation,  viewing 
it  as  one  formed  and  modelled  according  to  his  own 
wishes,  and  as  deserving  his  highest  confidence. 
They  were  the  pride  of  his  heart,  and  he  the  idol 
of  their  regard ;  constantly  panting  for  an  opportu 
nity  of  accomplishing  some  signal  achievement  wor 
thy  of  his  and  their  character.  In  December,  1780,  he 
marched  with  1,200  light  infantry  for  Virginia,  to 
counteract  the  devastations  of  Arnold  and  Phillips. 
He  made  a  forced  march  of  200  miles,  and  prevent 
ed  General  Phillips  possessing  himself  of  Rich 
mond,  and  secured  the  stores  of  that  place.  At 
one  period  there  was  not  a  single  pair  of  shoes  in 
his  whole  command,  and  such  was  his  zeal  and  gen 
erous  spirit,  and  such  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
the  people,  that  he  was  enabled  to  borrow  of  the 
merchants  of  Baltimore  2,000  guineas  on  his  own 
credit,  with  which  he  purchased  shoes  and  other 
necessary  articles  for  his  troops. 

He  was  afterwards  employed  in  watching  the  mo 
tions  of  Lord  Cornwallis  in  Virginia,  with  an  infe 
rior  force ;  in  this  arduous  duty  he  displayed  the 
judgement,  skill,  and  prudence  of  a  veteran,  with 
the  ardour  of  youth. 

Lord  Cornwallis,  having  encamped  near  James 
town,  the  Marquis  sent  General  Wayne  with  the 
Pennsylvania  troops,  to  take  their  station  within  a 
small  distance  of  the  British  army  and  watch  their 
motions.  The  two  advanced  parties  were  soon  en 
gaged,  and  General  Wayne  drove  that  of  the  enemy 
back  to  their  lines,  and  without  stopping  there,  at 
tacked  the  whole  British  army  drawn  up  in  order  of 
battle,  and  charged  them  with  bayonets.  The  ac- 


123 

tion  was  extremely  severe  for  the  little  time  it  last 
ed,  but  the  disproportion  of  numbers  was  so  great, 
that  the  enemy  was  on  the  point  of  surrounding  our 
troops,  when  the  Marquis  arrived  in  person  just  time 
enough  to  order  a  retreat,  by  which  they  were  res 
cued  from  their  hazardous  situation,  after  suffering 
considerable  loss. 

Great  encomiums  were  passed  on  the  Marquis, 
for  his  humanity  and  goodness,  in  visiting  and  ad 
ministering  to  the  relief  of  the  wounded  soldiers. 

During  the  siege  of  lord  Cornwallis,  at  York- 
town,  the  Marquis  was  among  the  most  active  and 
intrepid  of  the  general  officers,  and  he  commanded 
a  detachment  of  our  light  infantry,  which  success 
fully  assaulted  the  British  redoubt,  on  the  right  of 
our  lines. 

During  his  military  career  in  America,  the  Mar 
quis  displayed  that  patriotism,  integrity,  humanity, 
and  every  other  virtue,  which  characterize  real 
greatness  of  soul.  The  most  affectionate  attach 
ment  subsisted  between  him  and  the  illustrious 
chief,  under  whose  banners  it  was  his  delight  to 
serve,  and  whose  language  was — "  This  nobleman 
unites  to  all  the  military  fire  of  youth,  an  uncom 
mon  maturity  of  judgement."  His  very  soul  burned 
with  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  and  he  manifested  a 
disinterestedness  and  devotion  in  the  cause  of  free 
dom,  ever  to  be  admired  and  applauded  by  a  grate 
ful  people. 

In  December,  1784,  when  the  Marquis  was  about 
to  take  his  final  departure  from  America,  congress 
appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  one  member 
from  each  state,  to  receive  him,  and  in  the  name 
of  congress  to  take  leave  of  him,  in  such  a  manner 
as  might  strongly  manifest  their  esteem  and  regard 
for  him.  The  Marquis,  on  this  occasion,  made  a 
very  respectful  and  affectionate  reply,  and  thus  con 
cluded  his  address  :  "  May  this  immense  temple  of 
freedom  ever  stand  as  a  lesson  to  oppressors,  an 
example  to  the  oppressed,  a  sanctuary  for  the  rights 


of  mankind ;  and  may  these  happy  United  States, 
attain  that  complete  splendour  and  prosperity, 
which  will  illustrate  the  blessings  of  their  govern 
ment,  and  for  ages  to  come,  rejoice  the  departed 
souls  of  its  founders.  Never  can  congress  oblige 
me  so  much  as  when  they  put  it  in  my  power,  in 
every  pan  of  the  world,  to  the  latest  day  of  my  life, 
to  gratify  the  attachment  which  will  ever  rank  me 
among  the  most  zealous  and  respectful  servants  of 
the  United  States." 

In  the  same  year,  the  university  of  Cambridge, 
and  Princeton  college,  conferred  on  him  the  hono 
rary  degree  of  doctor  of  laws.  He  was  also  elect 
ed  a  member  of  the  American  academy  of  arts  and 
sciences,  and  of  the  American  philosophical  soci 
ety. 

At  length,  after  a  lapse  of  forty  years,  this  illus 
trious  hero  has  again  visited  our  shores.  His  recep 
tion  has  been  splendid  beyond  description,  and  lan 
guage  fails  to  represent  the  spontaneous  burst  of 
feeling  it  has  created.  History  presents  no  parallel. 
From  one  extremity  of  this  great  republic  to  the 
other,  every  pen  is  occupied  in  spreading  his  fame ; 
every  tongue  is  pronouncing  his  eulogies,  and  the 
whole  collected  mass  of  citizens  is  endeavouring  to 
render  him  that  homage  he  so  justly  merits. 

Hail  to  the  hero  I — shout  millions  of  voices, 
Enjoying  the  freedom  secured  by  his  toil : 
Hail  to  the  hero  1 — a  nation  rejoices 
Tp  welcome  its  sruest  returned  to  its  soil, 


GREENE,  NATHANIEL,  a  major-general  in  the  Ame 
rican  army,  was  born  at  Warwick,  Rhode-Island, 
about  the  year  1740.  He  was  particularly  distin 
guished  for  his  attainments  in  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy,  and  at  an  early  period  of  life 
was  called  to  a  seat  in  the  legislature  of  his  native 
state.  Being  thus  introduced  into  the  councils  of 
his  country,  at  a  time.,  when  the  rights  of  the  sub 
ject,  and  the  powers  of  the  ruler,  were  beginning  to 
be  topics  of  liberal  discussion,  he  did  not  hesitate 
openly  to  avow  his  sentiments,  and  oppose  all  ty 
rannical  proceedings  on  the  part  of  parliament. 
His  character  howrever  was  not  fully  developed  un 
til  the  commencement  of  the  troubles  which  ter 
minated  in  our  independence. 

It  was  then,  his  noble  spirit  aspired  to  lead  in 
the  public  councils,  as  well  as  in  the  field. 

At  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  he  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  command  of  three  regiments  of  mi 
litia,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general,  and  at  the 
head  of  which,  he  marched  to  Cambridge. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  commander-in-chief,  at 
head-quarters,  he  availed  himself  of  an  early  oppor 
tunity,  to  express  his  attachment  and  satisfaction 
in  his  appointment.  This  incident  was  the  happy 
prelude  to  a  friendship  between  these  two  great 
and  illustrious  officers,  which  death  alone  had  the 
power  to  dissolve.  No  sooner  did  the  commander- 
in-chief  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his 
character  and  merits,  the  ardour  of  his  patriotism, 
the  integrity  of  his  heart,  his  profound  judgment 
and  sagacity  in  council,  and  the  firmness  and  gal 
lantry  of  his  spirit  in  the  field,  than  he  regularly 
consulted  him,  in  different  emergencies,  and  receiv 
ed  his  opinions  with  uncommon  deference. 

And  as  an  honourable  testimonial  of  his  estima- 


126 

tion  and  confidence  of  his  capacity  and  worth,  the 
commander-in-chief  frequently  expressed  an  anx 
ious  wish,  that  in  case  of  his  death,  or  disability, 
he  might  be  appointed  his  successor,  in  the  su 
preme  command. 

In  August,  1776,  he  was  promoted  by  congress 
to  the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  regular  army. 

In  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Brandywine,  as 
well  as  in  that  of  Princeton,  January  2,  1777,  he 
bore  a  very  distinguished  part. 

In  the  battle  of  Germantown,  on  the  fourth  of 
October,  he  had  the  honour  to  command  the  left 
wing  of  the  army. 

In  1778,  he  was  appointed  quarter-master-gene- 
raL  which  he  reluctantly  accepted,  on  condition 
that  his  rank  should  not  be  affected,  and  that  he 
should  retain  his  command  in  time  of  action.  In 
June  following,  he  commanded  the  right  wing  of 
the  army  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  and  for  his 
gallantry  and  good  conduct,  received  the  thanks 
of  congress.  On  the  twenty-ninth  of  August,  he 
exhibited  great  military  skill,  in  drawing  off  the 
American  army  from  Rhode-Island,  after  the  French 
fleet  had  left  the  harbour.  Towards  the  close  of 
the  year  1779,  he  resigned  the  office  of  quarter 
master-general,  and  was  succeeded  by  colonel 
Pickering.  In  those  scenes,  through  which  we 
have  traced  his  military  career,  he  acted  only  in  a 
subordinate  capacity.  We  are  now  to  behold  him 
in  the  supreme  command  of  the  southern  section  of 
the  United  States.  The  theatre  of  war,  on  which 
he  is  now  to  exhibit  himself,  is  in  extent,  commen 
surate  with  abilities  of  the  widest  compass :  and 
the  difficulties  and  dangers  he  is  destined  to  en 
counter,  are  sufficiently  formidable  to  test  the  for 
titude  and  firmness  of  the  most  unyielding  spirit, 
and  give  ample  employment  to  all  the  resources 
of  talents  and  skill.  Rarely  has  a  leader  of  armies, 
in  any  country,  been  placed  in  a  situation  so  fear- 


127 

fully  calculated  to  measure  the  genius,  and  try  the 
soul. 

Greatly  to  acquit  himself  under  such  circum 
stances,  he  must  rank  with  the  ablest  captains  on 
the  brightest  page  of  military  annals.  With  a  few 
rare  and  brilliant  exceptions,  the  war,  from  its  first 
commencement,  in  the  south,  had  been  in  that 
quarter,  but  little  else  than  a  series  of  disasters  to 
the  arms  of  freedom.  On  the  3d  December,  1780, 
he  superseded  general  Gates,  in  the  command  of 
the  southern  army,  under  the  most  discouraging- 
appearances. 

The  army,  consisting  mostly  of  militia,  amounted 
to  less  than  two  thousand  men.  He  found  them 
without  arms,  clothing,  or  ammunition,  and  but 
three  day's  provisions.  In  front,  was  an  enemy, 
proud  in  victory,  and  too  strong  to  be  encountered  ; 
around,  and  in  his  rear,  a  country  exhausted,  dis 
pirited,  and  in  many  parts,  disaffected.  With  such 
means  and  under  such  circumstances,  to  recover 
two  states  already  conquered,  and  protect  a  third 
very  seriously  menaced,  constituted  a  task  almost 
hopeless.  The  kind  of  warfare  that  alone  was 
suited  to  these  purposes,  was  of  the  most  perplex 
ing  and  arduous  character;  and  to  conduct  it  suc 
cessfully,  called  for  consummate  and  diversified 
abilities.  With  Washington  in  his  eye,  and  his 
own  genius  to  devise  his  measures,  he  resolved  on 
cautious  movements,  and  protracted  war.  Having 
recruited  the  army,  and  organized  its  officers,  he 
sent  out  a  detachment  under  the  brave  general 
Morgan,  who  gained  the  important  victory  at  the 
Cowpens,  January  17,  1781.  This  battle  gave  a 
new  turn  to  affairs  in  the  south,  and  augured  fa 
vourably  of  his  future  career.  It  led  to  one  of  the 
most  arduous,  ably  conducted,  and  memorable  ope 
rations,  that  occurred  in  the  revolutionary  war — the 
retreat  of  Greene,  and  the  pursuit  of  lord  Corn- 
wallis,  during  the  inclemencies  of  winter,  from 


12B 

the  Catawba  to  the  Dan,  a  distance  of  two  hundred 
and  thirty  miles. 

On  the  part  of  the  American  commander,  that 
retreat,  with  his  advance,  manoeuvres,  and  action 
at  Guilford  court-house,  which  soon  afterwards  fol 
lowed,  may  be  safely  pronounced,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  retreat  of  the  ten  thousand  Greeks,  a 
succession  of  as  masterly  movements,  as  are  re 
corded  in  the  page  of  military  history.  For  any 
but  a  genius  of  the  highest  order,  and  a  soul  of  the 
firmest  texture,  to  have  planned  and  achieved  such 
a  scheme  of  operations,  under  the  most  formidable 
difficulties,  would  have  been  impossible.  Lord 
Cornwallis,  although  deeply  chagrined  at  being 
surpassed  in  generalship  by  Greene,  felicitated 
himself  on  the  acquisition  of  another  state  annexed 
to  the  British  empire.  Uneasy  and  restless,  in  a 
state  of  quietude,  while  the  interests  of  his  country 
called  for  action,  Greene,  having  received  an  ac 
cession  of  troops,  recrossed  the  Dan  with  his  army 
on  the  tenth  day  after  his  celebrated  retreat,  and 
sought  the  enemy  at  Guilford  court-house.  After 
one  of  the  most  obstinate  and  sanguinary  engage 
ments  that  is  recorded  in  our  revolutionary  annals> 
the  Americans  were  obliged  to  retire.  Not  doubt 
ing  that  lord  Cornwallis  would  follow  him,  he  re 
treated  slowly  and  in  good  order,  and  at  a  distance 
of  a  few  miles  from  the  scene  of  action,  took  a  po 
sition,  determined  to  renew  the  contest  on  the  ar 
rival  of  the  enemy. 

But  his  lordship  Declined  a  pursuit,  or  even 
maintaining  his  ground.  In  a  few  days  he  com 
menced  a  retreat  into  Virginia,  leaving  behind  him 
his  wounded,  to  the  humanity  and  care  of  the  Ame 
rican  chief. 

The  American  commander  immediately  pursued 
the  enemy,  who  were  several  days  in  advance,  on 
his  route  to  Wilmington.  Altering  his  plan,  he 
resolved  to  abandon  the  pursuit  of  the  British,  and 


J29 

recommence  offensive  operations  in  South  Caro 
lina.  He  accordingly  broke  up  his  encampment 
at  Ramsay's  mill,  and  mov^d  towards  the  south. 
Post  after  post  was  evacuated,  or  fell  before  him, 
in  quick  succession,  until,  on  the  eighth  of  Sep 
tember,  1781,  he  achieved  the  memorable  victory 
at  Eutaw  springs,  which  drove  the  enemy  from  the 
other  parts  of  the  state,  to  shelter  and  defend  them 
selves  within  the  lines  of  Charleston.  Thus  in  less 
than  five  months  after  entering  South  Carolina,  he 
became  master  of  every  part  of  it,  except  the  capi 
tal  and  its  immediate  vicinity. 

This  train  of  brilliant  successes,  so  far  beyond 
what  his  force  and  equipment  seemed  to  promise, 
procured  for  him,  from  the  chevalier  Luzerne,  a 
compliment  as  lofty  as  was  ever  paid  to  the  com 
mander  of  an  army.  "  Other  generals,"  says  he, 
"  subdue  their  enemy  by  the  means  with  which 
their  country  or  their  sovereign  furnishes  them. 
But  general  Greene  appears  to  subdue  his  enemy 
by  his  own  means.  He  commenced  his  campaign 
without  either  an  army,  provisions,  or  military 
stores.  He  has  asked  for  nothing  since,  and  yet 
scarcely  a  post  arrives  from  the  south,  that  does 
not  bring  intelligence  of  some  new  advantage  he 
has  gained  over  the  foe.  He  conquers  by  magic. 
History  furnishes  no  parallel  to  this." 

Congress,  in  consideration  of  his  wise,  decisive, 
and  'magnanimous  conduct  in  the  battle  at  Eutaw 
springs,  presented  him  a  gold  medal,  emblematical 
of  his  success,  and  a  British  standard.  This  en 
gagement  may  be  considered  as  closing  the  war 
in  South  Carolina. 

On  the  fourteenth  of  December,  1782,  Charles 
ton  was  evacuated  by  the  British,  when  Greene,  at 
the  head  of  his  gallant  and  victorious  troops,  en 
tered  the  city  amidst  the  acclamations  of  thousands. 

He  now  became  the  object  of  undivided  regard. 
From  every  quarter  he  received  congratulatory  ad 
dresses,  and  was  regarded  as  one  whose  wisdom 

17 


ISO 

and  valour  had  stayed  the  desolating  sword  of  war, 
rescued  them  from  the  sceptre  of  military  despo 
tism,  and  given  them,  in  prospect,  a  certainty  of 
freedom,  independence,  and  peace. 

In  the  midst  of  this  prodigality  of  admiration 
and  honour,  never  did  man  deport  himself  more 
meekly.  He  retired  from  the  blaze  of  public  dis 
tinction,  appearing  unconscious  of  the  merit  which 
attracted  it. 

Peace  being  at  length  restored,  and  his  country 
no  longer  in  need  of  his  services,  he,  without  wait 
ing  for  the  disbanding  of  the  army,  which  was  pro 
vided  for  by  congress,  withdrew  from  the  south, 
and  returned  to  the  bosom  of  his  native  state.  The 
reception  which  he  there  experienced,  Avas  cordial 
and  joyous. 

His  residence  in  Rhode-Island  was  short.  But 
during  the  continuance  of  it,  and  before  his  arrival, 
the  state  was  distracted  by  dissentions  of  the  most 
dangerous  nature.  His  prompt  interposition  to 
restore  harmony,  was,  however,  attended  with  com 
plete  success. 

Having  spent  about  two  years  in  his  native  state, 
he  returned  to  Georgia  in  October,  1785,  and  set 
tled  with  his  family,  on  his  estate  near  Savannah, 
which  had  been  granted  to  him  by  the  legislature 
of  that  state  as  a  reward  for  his  public  services. 

Engaging,  here,  in  agricultural  pursuits,  he  bid 
fair  of  becoming  as  eminent  in  the  practice  of  the 
peaceful  virtues,  as  he  had  already  shown  himself 
in  the  occupations  of  war. 

But  it  was  the  will  of  heaven,  that  in  this  new 
sphere  of  action,  his  course  should  be  limited. 
Walking  over  his  grounds,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
15th  of  June,  1786,  the  day  being  intensely  hot,  he 
was  suddenly  attacked  with  stupor  and  delirium, 
which  put  a  period  to  his  brilliant  career  on  the 
morning  of  the  19th. 

Congress  on  the  12th  August  of  the  same  year, 
voted  a  monument  to  be  erected  to  his  memory  at 


131 

the  seat  of  government,  with  the  following  inscrip 
tion: 

SACRED 

to  the  memory  of 
THE  HONOURABLE  NATHANIEL  GREENE. 

who  departed  this  life, 

the  nineteenth  of  June,   1786  ; 

Late  Major  General  in  the  service  of  the  United 

States,  and  Commander  of  their  Army  in  the 

Southern  Department. 
The  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 

in  honour  of  his 

Patriotism,  valour,  and  ability,  have  erected  this 
monument. 

General  Greene  possessed  a  mind  of  masculine 
strength  and  texture.  Sound,  penetrating,  and  ca 
pacious,  rather  than  brilliant;  judgment  and  saga 
city  were  its  predominating  features.  In  his  per 
ceptions  he  was  quick  and  clear,  ready  in  his  com 
binations,  forcible  in  his  reasonings,  and  prompt  in 
his  decisions.  His  acquaintance  with  human  na 
ture,  derived  from  history  and  an  intercourse  with 
man,  was  extensive  and  profound ;  and,  in  his  ap 
prehension  of  the  tendency  of  principles,  no  man 
committed  fewer  mistakes. 

For  the  zeal  and  sedulity  with  which  he  pursued 
knowledge,  at  every  period  of  life,  he  had  no  equal, 
among  officers  of  rank,  in  the  American  army. 

His  portable  library  consisted  of  Hume,  Locke, 
Shakspear,  Milton,  Horace,  and  others  of  the  an 
cient  classics,  which  he  read  familiarly,  and  were 
his  constant  companions ;  nor  did  he  ever  retire  to 
rest  without  spending  an  hour  or  two  in  reading. 

On  the  score  of  morality,  he  was  unimpeachable. 
Roman  virtue,  in  the  best  days  of  the  republic,  was 
never  more  unsullied  and  inflexible  than  his.  Of 
him  it  was  as  true  as  of  the  elder  Pitt,  that  "  mo 
dern  corruption  had  not  touched  him." 


In  conversation  he  was  fluent  and  instructive,  al 
ways  lively,  and  sometimes  playful.  His  favourite 
topics  were  political  economy,  and  the  principles 
of  government.  On  these  subjects,  his  views, 
which  were  always  liberal,  had,  by  reading  and  re 
flection,  been  rendered  profound.  And  in  all  pro 
bability,  had  his  life  been  prolonged  until  the  organ 
ization  of  the  federal  government,  Washington 
would  have  called  him  to  fill  a  seat  in  his  cabinet. 


GWINNETT,  BUTTON,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  England, 
about  the  year  1732.  He  married  in  England,  and 
in  1770,  emigrated  to  America.  In  1772,  he  set 
tled  in  Georgia,  where  he  devoted  his  whole  atten 
tion  to  agriculture. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  he  took 
an  active  part  in  the  struggles  of  his  adopted  coun 
try. 

By  his  zeal  and  ardour,  he  became  eminently 
conspicuous,  and  rose  with  rapidity  to  the  highest 
dignity  in  the  province. 

In  February,  1776,  he  was  appointed  a  delegate 
to  the  general  congress  which  met  at  Philadel 
phia. 

On  the  4th  July,  he  was  one  of  those  patriots, 
who  signed  the  declaration  of  independence. 

In  February,  1777,  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
members  of  the  convention,  to  frame  a  constitu 
tion  for  his  state.  On  the  death  of  Mr.  Bullock, 
he  was  appointed  to  fill  the  presidency  of  the  pro 
vincial  council. 

Mr.  Gwinnett,  naturally  ambitious,  experienced 
a  mortifying  disappointment,  in  not  being  elected 
first  governor  under  the  new  constitution,  together 
with  a  combination  of  circumstances  of  a  personal 
nature,  finally  led  him  to  challenge  general  Mcln- 


tosh  to  a  duel,  from  whom  he  received  a  wound* 
which  proved  mortal,  and  expired  on  the  27th  May, 
1777,  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

Although  the  political  career  of  Mr.  Gwinriett 
was  short,  and  its  termination  afflicting,  his  memo 
ry,  stamped  as  it  is  upon  the  charter  of  our  inde 
pendence,  must  be  coeval  with  the  duration  of  the 
American  republic. 


GATES,  HORATIO,  a  major-general  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  about  the  year  1728. 

In  early  life  he  entered  the  British  army,  and  laid 
the  foundation  of  his  future  military  excellence. 
He  was  with  Braddock,  and  a  companion  in  arms 
with  Washington,  at  the  defeat  of  his  army,  in 
1755. 

When  peace  was  concluded,  he  purchased  an 
estate  in  Virginia,  where  he  resided  until  the  com 
mencement  of  the  American  war,  in  1775,  when 
he  was  appointed  by  congress,  at  the  recommen 
dation  of  general  Washington,  adjutant-general, 
with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

From  this  period  he  took  a  very  active  part  in 
most  of  the  transactions  of  the  war,  and  his  abili 
ties  and  good  fortune  placed  him  in  a  rank  infeTiol 
only  to  the  cominander-in-chief,  and  above  any 
other  general. 

In  July,  1775,  he  accompanied  Washington  to 
Cambridge,  when  he  went  to  take  command  of  the 
army  in  that  place. 

In  June,  1776,  he  was  appointed  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  army  of  Canada.  He  was  supersed 
ed  by  general  Schuyler  in  May,  1777;  but  in  August 
following,  he  took  the  place  of  this  officer  in  the 
northern  department.  The  success,  which  attend 
ed  his  arms  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  in  Octo 
ber,  filled  America  with  joy.  This  event  may  be 


134 

considered  as  deciding  the  war  of  the  revolution, 
as  from  that  period,  the  British  cause  began  ra 
pidly  to  decline.  Congress  passed  a  vote  of  thanks, 
and  ordered  a  medal  of  gold  to  be  presented  by 
the  president.  After  general  Lincoln  was  taken 
prisoner,  he  was  appointed  on  the  13th  of  June, 
1780,  to  the  command  of  the  southern  department. 
On  the  16th  of  August,  he  was  defeated  by  Corn- 
wallis,  at  Camden.  He  was  superseded  on  the  3d 
of  December  by  general  Greene,  but  was,  in  1782, 
restored  to  his  command. 

After  the  peace  he  retired  to  his  farm,  in  Berke- 
ly  county,  Virginia,  where  he  remained  until  the 
year  1790,  when  he  went  to  reside  at  New- York, 
having  first  emancipated  his  slaves,  and  made  such 
pecuniary  provision  for  such  as  were  not  able  to 
provide  for  themselves.  On  his  arrival  at  New- 
York,  the  freedom  of  the  city  was  presented  to 
him. 

In  1800,  he  accepted  a  seat  in  the  legislature, 
but  he  retained  it  no  longer  than  he  conceived  his 
services  might  be  useful  to  the  cause  of  liberty, 
which  he  never  abandoned.  He  died,  April  10, 
1806,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  his  age.  He 
was  a  scholar,  well  versed  in  history  and  the  Latin 
classics. 


GORHAM,  NATHANIEL,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,  was  born  in  Charlestown,  Mas 
sachusetts,  May  27,  1738.  He  received  an  excel 
lent  education,  and  possessing  uncommon  talents, 
he  always  appeared  to  advantage  in  company  with 
literary  men.  He  settled  in  business  at  the  place 
of  his  nativity,  but  being  a  constant,  fearless,  and 
independent  lover  of  freedom,  seemed  to  be  form 
ed  more  for  public  life  than  to  succeed  in  mercan 
tile  pursuits. 


135 

He  was  chosen  representative  for  Charlestowil, 
in  1771,  and  every  year  till  the  commencement  of 
the  revolutionary  war.  He  was  a  very  assiduous 
attendant  on  the  house  of  representatives,  and  was 
a  leader  in  all  their  debates. 

In  1779,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  of  the  con 
vention  which  formed  the  constitution  of  his  native 
state. 

In  1784,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  con 
gress  of  the  United  States,  and  soon  after,  elected 
president  of  that  honourable  body. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of  the  grand  conven 
tion  which  formed  the  federal  constitution.  In 
this  august  body,  he  sustained  a  high  reputation 
for  his  knowledge  and  integrity.  He  stood  high 
with  all  parties  for  his  wisdom  and  prudence,  and 
eloquence  in  debate. 

He  was  on  this  account  one  of  the  most  influen 
tial  members  of  the  state  convention,  which  adopt 
ed  it.  He  died,  June  11,  1796. 


GAGE,  THOMAS,  the  last  governor  of  Massachu 
setts  appointed  by  the  king,  was  the  brother  of 
Lord  Viscount  Gage.  He  came  to  America  as 
lieutenant-colonel  of  Braddock's  army,  and  when 
that  unfortunate  general  was  wounded,  he,  with 
another  officer,  Carried  him  off  the  field. 

In  1760,  after  the  conquest  of  Canada  by  his  ma 
jesty's  forces,  he  was  appointed  governor. 

In  1763,  on  the  departure  of  general  Amherst, 
he  succeeded  him  as  commander-in-chief  of  his 
majesty's  forces  in  America. 

In  1774,  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  Hutchin- 
son  in  the  government  of  Massachusetts,  and  to 
command  the  troops  quartered  in  the  province,  to 
force  the  people  into  a  compliance  with  the  uncon 
stitutional  and  oppressive  acts  of  parliament.  On 


136 

his  arrival  in  Boston,  he  immediately  sent  several 
detachments  into  various  parts  of  the  country  to 
repair  the  fortifications,  seize  the  powder  and  other 
military  stores  in  Charlestown,  Salem,  Concord, 
and  Lexington :  at  the  latter  place  was  kindled  the 
spark,  which  terminated  in  the  independence  of 
America. 

In  May,  1775,  the  provincial  congress  of  Massa 
chusetts  declared  general  Gage,  to  be  an  inveterate 
enemy  of  the  country,  disqualified  for  serving  the 
colony  as  governor,  and  unworthy  of  obedience. 
From  this  time  the  exercise  of  his  functions  were 
confined  to  Boston. 

In  June,  1775,  he  proclaimed  Massachusetts  to  be 
in  rebellion,  and  offered  pardon  to  all  the  rebels,  ex 
cepting  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Hancock,  whom 
he  proscribed. 

Under  his  orders  Bunker-hill  battle  was  fought, 
and  Charlestown  burnt.  Having  obtained  leave  to 
depart  from  America,  he  embarked  for  England, 
October  following,  and  was  succeeded  in  the  com 
mand  by  Sir  William  Howe.  He  died  in  England* 
April  4,  1787. 


IrV 


HENRY,  PATRICK,  a  distinguished  patriot  and 
statesman,  was  born  at  the  seat  of  his  ancestors, 
Hanover  county,  Virginia,  May  29,  1736.  After 
making  some  proficiency  in  mathematics  and  the 
languages,  he  was  placed  with  a  country  merchant, 
and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  commenced  business  on 
his  own  account. 

His  genius,  however,  like  Shakspeare's,  moulded 
for  a  nobler  and  more  exalted  sphere  of  action,  and 
destined  to  guide  the  councils  of  a  great  republic, 
abandoned  the  drudgery  of  the  counter,  and  at  the 
age  of  four-and- twenty,  commenced  the  study  of 
the  law. 

In  a  very  short  time,  he  was  qualified,  and  com 
menced  the  practice  of  his  profession.  It  was  not, 
however,  till  the  year  1763,  that  his  genius  burst 
her  fetters  and  brought  into  action  for  the  first  time, 
the  powers  of  his  eloquence,  for  which  he  after 
wards  became  celebrated. 

In  1764,  a  year  memorable  for  the  origination 
of  that  great  question,  which  led  finally  to  the  in 
dependence  of  the  United  States,  it  is  asserted, 
on  the  authority  of  president  Jefferson,  that  "  he 
gave  the  first  impulse  to  the  ball  of  the  revolu 
tion," 

In  the  following  year,  1765,  he  introduced  his 
celebrated  resolutions  against  the  scheme  of  tax 
ing  America,  which  passed  the  house  of  burgesses 
in  May  following. 

"They  formed,"  says  Mr.  Henry,  "the  first  op 
position  to  the  stamp  act,  and  the  scheme  of  tax 
ing  America  by  the  British  parliament.  All  the 
colonies,  either  through  fear,  or  want  of  opportuni 
ty  to  form  an  opposition,  or  from  influence  of  some 
kind  or  other,  had  remained  silent.  I  had  been  for 
the  first  time  elected  a  burgess,  a  few  days  before, 

18 


138 

was  young,  inexperienced,  unacquainted  with  the 
forms  of  the  house,  and  the  members  that  compos 
ed  it.  Finding  the  men  of  weight  averse  to  oppo 
sition,  and  the  commencement  of  the  tax  at  hand, 
and  that  no  person  was  likely  to  step  forth,  I  de 
termined  to  venture,  and  alone,  unadvised,  and  un 
assisted,  on  a  blank  leaf  of  an  old  law  book,  wrote 
the  within  (resolutions.)  Upon  offering  them  to  the 
house,  violent  debates  ensued.  Many  threats  were 
uttered,  and  much  abuse  cast  on  me,  by  the  party 
for  submission.  After  a  long  and  warm  contest, 
the  resolutions  passed  by  a  small  majority,  perhaps 
of  one  or  two  only.  The  alarm  spread  throughout 
America  with  astonishing  quickness,  and  the  minis 
terial  party  were  overwhelmed. 

"The  great  point  of  resistance  to  British  taxa 
tion  was  universally  established  in  the  colonies. 
This  brought  on  the  war  which  finally  separated 
the  two  countries,  and  gave  independence  to  ours." 

From  this  period  he  became  the  idol  of  the  peo 
ple  of  Virginia;  nor  was  his  name  confined  to  his 
native  state.  His  light  and  heat  were  seen  and  felt 
throughout  the  continent;  and  he  was  everywhere 
regarded  as  the  great  champion  of  colonial  liberty. 
The  impulse  thus  given  by  Virginia,  was  caught  by 
the  other  colonies.  His  resolutions  were  every 
where  adopted,  with  progressive  variations. 

The  spirit  of  resistance  became  bolder  and 
bolder,  until  the  whole  continent  was  in  a  flame ; 
and  by  the  first  of  November,  when  the  stamp  act 
was,  according  to  its  provisions,  to  have  taken 
effect,  its  execution  had  become  utterly  impracti 
cable. 

The  house  of  burgesses  of  Virginia,  which  had 
led  the  opposition  to  the  stamp  act,  kept  their  high 
ground  during  the  whole  of  the  contest,  and  he 
continued  a  member  of  the  public  councils  till  the 
close  of  the  revolution  :  and  there  could  be  no 
want  of  boldness  in  any  body,  of  which  he  was  a 
member. 


139 

The  elements  of  his  character  were  most  happi 
ly  mingled  for  the  great  struggle  which  was  now 
coming  on.  His  views  were  not  less  steady  than 
they  were  bold.  His  vision  pierced  deeply  into 
futurity :  and  long  before  a  whisper  of  indepen 
dence  had  been  heard  in  this  land,  he  had  looked 
through  the  whole  of  the  approaching  contest,  and 
saw  with  the  eye  and  the  rapture  of  a  prophet, 
his  country  seated  aloft  among  the  nations  of  the 
earth. 

In  1774,  he  was  elected  one  of  the  deputies  from 
Virginia  to  the  first  congress  which  met  at  the  Car 
penters'  Hall,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  on  the  4th 
of  September  following.  The  most  eminent  men 
of  the  various  colonies  were  now,  for  the  first  time, 
brought  together.  The  meeting  was  awfully  so 
lemn.  The  object  which  had  called  them  together 
was  of  incalculable  magnitude.  The  liberties  of 
no  less  than  three  millions  of  people,  with  all  of 
their  posterity,  were  staked  on  the  wisdom  and 
energy  of  their  councils.  No  wonder,  then,  at  the 
long  and  deep  silence  which  is  said  to  have  fol 
lowed  upon  their  organization ;  at  the  anxiety  with 
which  the  members  looked  around  upon  each  other ; 
and  the  reluctance  which  every  individual  felt  to 
open  a  business  so  fearfully  momentous.  In  the 
midst  of  this  deep  and  death-like  silence,  and  just 
when  it  was  beginning  to  become  painfully  embar 
rassing,  Mr.  Henry  arose  slowly,  as  if  borne  down 
by  the  wreight  of  the  subject.  After  a  most  im 
pressive  exordium,  he  launched,  gradually,  into  a 
recital  of  the  colonial  wrongs.  Rising,  as  he  ad 
vanced,  with  the  grandeur  of  his  subject,  and  glow 
ing  at  length  with  all  the  majesty  and  expectation 
of  the  occasion,  his  speech  seemed  more  than  that 
of  mortal  man. 

Even  those  who  had  heard  him  in  all  his  glory, 
in  the  house  of  burgesses  of  Virginia,  were  asto 
nished  at  the  manner  in  which  his  talents  seemed 
to  swell  and  expand  themselves,  to  fill  the  vaster 


140 

theatre  in  which  he  was  now  placed.  At  length, 
he  closed  his  eloquent  harangue,  and  sat  down 
amidst  murmurs  of  astonishment  and  applause; 
and  as  he  had  been  before  proclaimed  the  greatest 
orator  of  Virginia,  he  Was  now  on  every  hand,  ad 
mitted  to  be  the  first  orator  of  America. 

In  October,  he  returned  home,  and  was  elected 
in  March,  1775,  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
assembled  for  a  second  time  at  Richmond,  to  con 
sult  the  welfare  of  the  colony.  In  this  body,  in 
his  usual  style  of  eloquence,  he  urged  the  necessity 
of  embodying,  arming,  and  disciplining  the  militia, 
and  notwithstanding  his  resolutions  were  opposed, 
and  resisted  by  the  influence  of  some  of  the  ablest 
men  and  patriots  of  the  convention,  he  urged  them 
the  more,  and  exclaimed,  "There  is  no  longer 
any  room  for  hope.  If  we  wish  to  be  free — if  we 
mean  to  preserve  inviolate  those  inestimable  pri 
vileges  for  which  we  have  been  so  long  contend 
ing — if  we  mean  not  basely  to  abandon  the  noble 
struggle  in  which  we  have  been  so  long  engaged, 
and  which  we  have  pledged  ourselves  never  to 
abandon,  until  the  glorious  object  of  our  contest 
shall  be  obtained — we  must  fight  ! — I  repeat  it, 
sirs,  we  must  fight ! !  An  appeal  to  arms  and  to 
the  God  of  hosts,  is  all  that  is  left  us  ! — Gentlemen 
may  cry,  peace,  peace — but  there  is  no  peace.  The 
war  is  actually  begun  !  the  next  gale  that  sweeps 
from  the  north  will  bring  to  our  ears  the  clash  of 
resounding  arms !  Our  brethren  are  already  in  the 
field !  why  stand  we  here  idle  !  What  is  it  that 
gentlemen  wish  I  What  would  they  have  I  Is  life 
so  dear,  or  peace  so  sweet,  as  to  be  purchased  at 
the  price  of  chains  and  slavery  I  Forbid  it,  Almigh 
ty  God ! — I  know  not  what  course  others  may  take ; 
but  as  for  me,"  cried  he,  with  both  arms  extended 
aloft,  his  brows  knit,  every  feature  marked  with 
the  resolute  purpose  of  his  soul,  and  his  voice 
swelled  to  its  boldest  note  of  exclamation — "  give 
me  liberty,  or  give  me  death !" 


141 

He  took  his  seat.  No  murmur  of  applause  wag 
heard.  The  effect  was  too  deep.  After  the  trance 
of  a  moment,  several  members  started  from  their 
seats.  The  cry,  "to  arms,"  seemed  to  quiver  on 
every  lip,  and  gleam  from  every  eye !  They  be 
came  impatient  of  speech — their  souls  were  on  fire 
for  action.  The  resolutions  were  adopted. 

The  storm  of  the  revolution  now  began  to  thicken. 
The  cloud  of  war  had  actually  burst  on  the  New- 
England  states.  The  colonial  governors  concert 
ed  measures  to  disarm  the  people,  and  to  deprive 
them  of  gun-powder.  An  attempt  was  accordingly 
made  to  seize  at  the  same  moment  the  powder  and 
arms  in  the  several  provincial  magazines.  Gover 
nor  Gage  first  set  the  example,  and  was  followed 
by  similar  attempts  in  other  colonies  to  the  north. 

In  turn,  governor  Dunmore  followed,  and  remov 
ed  the  powder  from  the  magazine  at  Williamsburg. 
This  act  excited  universal  indignation.  In  the  mean 
time  Mr.  Henry  assembled  the  independent  com 
panies  of  Hanover  and  King  William  counties,  and 
marched  at  their  head  towards  Williamsburg,  with 
the  avowed  design  of  obtaining  payment  for  the 
powder,  or  of  compelling  its  restitution.  The  ob 
ject  he  effected.  Thus  the  same  man,  whose  ge 
nius  had,  in  the  year  1765,  given  the  first  political 
impulse  to  the  revolution,  had  now  the  additional 
honour  of  heading  the  first  military  movement  in 
Virginia,  in  support  of  the  same  cause.  The  gover 
nor  immediately  fortified  his  palace,  and  issued  a 
proclamation,  charging  those  who  had  procured 
payment  for  the  powder,  with  rebellious  practices. 
This  only  occasioned  a  number  of  county  meet 
ings,  which  applauded  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Henry, 
and  expressed  a  determination  to  protect  him. 

In  August,  1775,  when  a  new  choice  of  deputies 
to  congress  was  made,  he  was  not  re-elected,  for 
his  services  were  now  demanded  more  exclusively 
in  his  own  state.  After  the  departure  of  Lord 
Dunmore,  he  was  chosen  the  first  governor  in 


U2 

June,  1776,  and  held  this  office  several  succeeding 
years,  bending  all  his  exertions  to  promote  the 
freedom  and  independence  of  his  country. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  deputies  to 
meet  the  grand  convention  to  be  held  at  Philadel 
phia,  for  the  purpose  of  revising  the  federal  con 
stitution  ;  the  same  cause,  however,  which  had  con 
strained  his  retirement  from  the  executive  chair, 
disabled  him  now  from  obeying  the  calls  of  his 
country. 

Of  the  convention,  however,  which  was  to  decide 
the  fate  of  this  instrument  in  Virginia,  he  was  cho 
sen  a  member. 

The  convention  met  in  Richmond,  on  the  2nd 
June,  1788,  and  exhibited  such  an  array  of  varie 
gated  talents,  as  had  never  before  been  collected  to 
one  focus  in  that  state. 

In  this  highly  respectable  body,  he,  day  after 
day,  exerted  the  powers  of  his  masterly  eloquence 
to  prevent  its  adoption.  Though  experience  has 
proven,  that  he  was  erroneous  in  his  judgment  on 
this  occasion,  it  is  nevertheless  due  to  him  to  state, 
that  he  contributed  several  valuable  amendments 
to  the  Magna  Charta  of  our  representative  govern 
ment  and  national  glory. 

He  continued  the  practice  of  the  law  until  the 
year  1794,  when  he  bade  a  final  adieu  to  his  pro 
fession,  and  retired  to  the  bosom  of  his  family. 
He  retired  loaded  with  honours,  public  and  pro 
fessional  ;  and  carried  with  him  the  admiration,  the 
gratitude,  the  confidence,  and  the  love  of  his  coun 
try. 

No  man  had  ever  passed  through  so  long  a  life 
of  public  service,  with  a  reputation  more  perfectly 
unspotted. 

In  1796,  he  was  again  called  to  the  gubernato 
rial  chair,  but  this  office  he  almost  immediately  re 
signed. 

In  the  year  1797,  his  health  began  to  decline,  and 


continued  to  sink  gradually  to  the  moment  of  his 
death. 

In  1799,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Adams 
envoy  to  France.  This  honour  he  declined,  on 
account  of  his  advanced  age  and  increasing  debili 
ty.  He  lived  but  a  short  time  after  this  testimony 
of  respect,  in  which  his  talents  and  patriotism  were 
held,  for  he  died  at  Red-hill,  Charlotte  county,  June 
6,  1799. 

Thus  lived,  and  thus  died,  the  celebrated  Patrick 
Henry  of  Virginia;  a  man  who  justly  deserves  to  be 
ranked  among  the  highest  ornaments,  and  noblest 
benefactors  of  his  country.  Had  his  lot  been  cast 
in  the  republics  of  Greece  or  Rome,  his  name  would 
have  been  enrolled  by  some  immortal  pen  among 
the  expellers  of  tyrants  and  the  champions  of  liber 
ty:  the  proudest  monuments  of  national  gratitude 
would  have  risen  to  his  honour,  and  handed  down 
his  memory  to  future  generations. 


HAMILTON,  ALEXANDER,  a  distinguished  states 
man,  and  first  secretary  of  the  treasury  of  the  Unit 
ed  States,  was  born  at  St.  Croix  in  the  year  1757. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  accompanied  his  mother  to 
New-York,  and  entered  a  student  of  Columbia  col 
lege,  in  which  he  continued  about  three  years.  It 
was  here  his  intellect  first  gave  presages  of  his  fu 
ture  eminence.  The  contest  with  Great-Britain 
having  grown  serious  and  alarming,  it  called  forth 
the  ablest  writers  of  the  day  on  both  sides  of  the 
question.  At  the  age  of  only  seventeen  he  became 
an  advocate  of  the  colonies,  young  as  he  was;  yet 
such  were  the  wisdom  and  compass  of  his  views, 
and  the  manly  vigour  and  maturity  of  his  style,  that 
his  productions  were  attributed  to  the  pen  of  Mr. 
Jay,  who  was  then  in  the  meridian  of  his  illustrious 
life.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolution,  he 


144 

could  no  longer  repose  in  college  shades  while  his 
country  was  in  danger ;  he  accordingly,  when  in  his 
nineteenth  year,  entered  the  American  army  with, 
the  rank  of  captain  of  artillery,  and  in  that  capacity 
distinguished  himself  on  several  occasions. 

It  was  not  long  before  his  higher  qualities  attract 
ed  the  notice  of  Washington,  who,  in  1777,  selected 
him  as  an  aid  with  the  rank  of  lieutenant-colonel. 
From  this  period  till  1781,  Washington  and  Hamil 
ton  were  inseparable  companions  both  in  the  cabi 
net  and  the  field.  Never  was  an  aid  more  perfectly 
the  friend  and  confidant  of  his  commander,  nor  a 
general  more  ably  subserved  by  an  aid.  They  shar 
ed  together  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  that  try 
ing  period,  with  a  firmness  and  fortitude  that  were 
never  surpassed,  and  by  their  bravery  and  united 
wisdom,  were  instrumental  beyond  all  others  in  con 
ducting  the  arms  of  their  country  to  victory  and  glo 
ry.  Hamilton  served  as  first  aid  to  Washington  in 
the  battle  of  Brandywine,  Germantown,  and  Mon- 
mouth.  At  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  he  led  at  his  own 
request  the  American  detachment  that  carried  by 
assault  one  of  the  enemy's  outworks,  on  which  occa 
sion  his  valour  was  daring  and  chivalrous.  Soon 
after  the  capture  of  Cornwallis  he  sheathed  his 
sword,  and  having  a  family  depending  for  its  sub 
sistence  on  his  personal  exertions,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-five,  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
law. 

In  1782,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  congress 
from  the  state  of  New-York,  and  was  distinguished 
as  a  leader  in  all  the  most  important  measures  of 
the  session. 

He  was  several  times  chairman  of  those  commit 
tees  to  which  was  confided  the  high  and  difficult 
trust  of  reporting  on  such  subjects  as  were  deemed 
most  vitally  interesting  to  the  nation.  The  reports 
prepared  on  these  occasions  are  remarkable  for 
that  eloquence,  energy,  and  luminous  wisdom. 


KXOUAVED  BY  LKSKf, 


145 

which  characterize  so  strongly  all  the  subsequent 
productions  of  his  pen. 

Having  ably  acquitted  himself  of  his  duty  to  his 
country,  he  again  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law, 
in  which  profession  he  soon  rose  to  distinction. 

In  the  year  1784,  he  published  in  favour  of  the 
loyalists  two  celebrated  pamphlets  under  the  sig 
nature  of  Phocion — which  must  always  be  regard 
ed  as  master  pieces  of  analysis  and  profound  in 
vestigation. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of  the  general  con 
vention  which  met  at  Philadelphia,  whose  delibe 
rations  resulted  in  the  federal  constitution. 

The  conjuncture  was  awfully  portentous,  and 
threatening.  The  issue  of  the  late  war,  in  its  rela 
tion  to  the  permanent  welfare  of  the  country,  had 
become  problematical:  and  the  only  alternatives 
presented  were  the  institution  of  a  more  steady 
and  vigorous  form  of  government,  or  a  speedy  dis 
solution  of  the  confederation  of  the  states.  Over 
either  event,  serious  evils  were  thought  to  impend. 
The  responsibilities  imposed  on  the  convention 
were  weighty  and  solemn.  Colonel  Hamilton, 
whose  spirit  delighted  in  difficulties,  now  took  a 
prompt  and  splendid  lead  in  all  such  measures  as 
policy  appeared  to  direct.  His  pen  as  well  as  his 
tongue  became  an  organ  of  wisdom,  and  an  instru 
ment  of  eloquence,  which  excited  the  admiration 
and  applause  of  his  cotemporaries,  and  will  transmit 
liis  fame  with  unfading  lustre  to  the  latest  poste 
rity. 

After  the  publication  of  the  constitution,  he,  con 
jointly  with  Mr.  Madison  and  Mr.  Jay,  commenced 
the  Federalist,  a  work  which  is  justly  ranked  with 
the  foremost  productions  in  political  literature. 
Besides  being  the  most  enlightened,  profound,  and 
practicable  disquisition  on  the  principles  of  a  fe 
deral  representative  government  that  has  ever  ap 
peared,  it  is  a  luminous  and  elegant  commentary 
on  the  republican  establishments  of  our  own  coun- 

19 


146 

try.  It  was  published  in  the  years  1787  and  178B, 
in  a  series  of  essays,  addressed  to  the  citizens  of 
New-York,  and  had  a  powerful  influence  both  in 
that  and  other  states,  in  procuring  the  adoption  of 
the  federal  constitution.  The  style  is  as  perspicu 
ous,  eloquent,  and  forcible,  as  the  matter  is  perti 
nent,  and  the  arguments  convincing — and  have  all 
the  richness,  elegance,  and  ease  of  the  Spectator. 
He  wrote  the  whole  of  the  work,  except  Nos.  2,  3, 
4,  and  5,  which  are  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Jay;  Nos. 
10,  14,  18,  19,  20,  and  37,  to  58,  inclusive,  and  62, 
63,  and  64,  from  that  of  Mr.  Madison. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  state  convention  of 
New-York,  which  met  in  1788,  to  deliberate  on  the 
adoption  of  the  federal  constitution.  For  a  time  the 
issue  of  it  was  doubtful.  It  was  then  the  triumph 
of  his  talents  and  patriotism  showed  most  conspi 
cuous,  and  by  the  force  of  his  eloquence  as  well  as 
his  pen,  in  the  papers  signed  Publius,  he  contribut 
ed  much  to  its  adoption. 

On  the  organization  of  the  federal  government, 
in  the  summer  of  1788,  Washington  placed  him  at 
the  head  of  the  treasury.  Here  he  had  to  contend 
with  almost  insurmountable  difficulties.  But  the 
mind  of  Hamilton  was  not  formed  to  be  intimidat 
ed  or  vanquished.  Jt  rose  in  greatness  in  propor 
tion  to  the  difficulties  it  had  to  encounter.  He 
proved  himself  capable  not  only  of  arranging,  com 
bining,  and  maturing,  but  of  creating  the  means 
necessary  for  the  attainment  of  the  weightiest  pur 
pose.  He  perceived,  as  by  intuition,  the  true  cha 
racter  and  resources  of  the  country,  and  devised 
with  equal  facility  the  best  plan  of  converting  them 
into  a  basis  of  national  revenue.  From  the  most 
humble  and  depressed  condition,  he  raised  public 
credit  to  an  elevation  altogether  unprecedented  in 
the  history  of  the  country,  and  acquired  for  him 
self,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  the  reputation  of  the 
greatest  financier  of  the  age. 


147 

His  official  reports  to  congress,  besides  ranking 
high  as  literary  productions,  are  among  the  most 
able  and  instructive  papers  on  political  economy 
that  have  ever  appeared.  Those  of  his  reports 
which  are  most  highly  esteemed  are,  two  on  the 
subject  of  a  provision  for  the  support  of  public 
credit,  on  the  establishment  of  a  national  bank,  and 
one  on  the  subject  of  manufactures;  all  of  which 
have  been  acknowledged  to  be  chef  d'ceuvres  in 
political  literature,  and  justly  entitle  him  to  the 
title  of  the  founder  of  public  credit  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  said,  such  was  the  confidence  of 
Washington  in  his  wisdom  and  judgment,  patriot 
ism  and  integrity,  that  he  rarely  ventured  on  any* 
high  executive  act  without  his  concurrence. 

In  the  year  1793,  an  attempt  was  made  by  the 
minister  of  France  to  involve  the  United  States  as 
a  party  in  the  war  between  that  republic  and  Great- 
Britain.  Washington  immediately  declared  the 
course  of  policy  which  he  intended  to  pursue,  by 
issuing  his  proclamation  of  neutrality.  Mr.  Hamil 
ton  was  known  to  have  advised  the  measure  :  he  af 
terwards  published  in  defence  of  it  the  essays  of 
Pacificus,  which  were  highly  influential  in  recon 
ciling  it  to  public  approbation.  In  these  essays, 
though  some  of  them  may  in  point  of  style  and 
elegance  be  inferior  to  those  of  the  Federalist, 
yet  they  exhibit  all  that  perspicuity  of  arrange 
ment,  and  strength  of  argument,  for  which  all  his 
writings  are  distinguished. 

Finding  his  salary  insufficient  for  the  support  of 
a  large  family,  in  1795  he  resigned  the  office  of 
secretary  of  the  treasury,  and  returned  once  more 
to  private  life. 

Yet  there  was  one  public  measure  which  he  felt 
himself  bound  to  vindicate,  because  it  had  been 
entered  into  in  part  from  his  own  advice.  This 
was  the  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce  negotiated 
with  Great-Britain,  through  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Jay. 
In  a  series  of  papers  written  with  his  usual  ability. 


148 

under  the  signature  of  Camillus,  he  entered  into 
an  elaborate  and  successful  defence  of  it.  As  the 
sun  in  his  ascent,  dissipates  the  mists  and  ob 
scurities  of  the  morning,  such  was  the  action  of 
these  luminous  essays  on  the  doubts  of  the  com 
munity.  Error  and  prejudice  were  scattered  by 
their  radiance,  and  brightness  and  truth  became 
every  where  their  attendants.  The  treaty  was  rati 
fied  and  carried  into  effect;  with  what  advantages 
to  the  country,  the  long  career  of  prosperity  which 
succeeded,  can  best  testify. 

In  consequence  of  the  injuries  and  demands,  and 
the  haughty  and  menacing  aspects  of  the  republic 
of  France  towards  this  country,  in  the  year  1798  ; 
to  direct  and  confirm  the  people  in  the  course  they 
should  pursue,  he  published  with  conclusive  effect, 
under  the  signature  of  Titus  Manlius,  a  series  of 
essays  denominated  "The  Stand." 

President  Adams  immediately  adopted  defensive 
measures,  and  called  upon  Washington  to  accept 
the  command  of  the  army,  which  he  accepted  only 
on  condition  that  colonel  Hamilton  should  be  made 
second  in  command.  This  arrangement  was  ac 
cordingly  made.  Such  was  the  high  eulogium 
conferred  upon  his  talents  by  the  father  of  his 
country. 

On  the  death  of  Washington,  in  1799,  he  suc 
ceeded,  of  course,  to  the  command  in  chief  of  the 
armies  of  America. 

The  most  material  differences  having  been  peace 
ably  adjusted  between  the  two  countries,  he  re 
turned  again  to  the  profession  of  the  law,  and  never 
more  appeared  in  any  official  capacity. 

In  the  mean  time,  his  fame  as  an  advocate  and  a 
counsellor  continued  to  brighten ;  the  last  exertion 
of  his  genius  and  talents,  being  still  considered  by 
those  who  heard  him  the  greatest  and  the  best. 

In  this  flourishing  state  of  his  fortune  and  re- 
nown,  his  country  and  his  family  was  about  to  sus 
tain  an  irreparable  loss.  Some  personal  misim- 


149 

demanding   had   taken   place   between   him  and 
colonel  Burr,  the  latter  requiring  his  acknowledg 
ment  or  denial  of  certain  expressions  derogatory 
to  his  honour  which  he  had  used ;  this  was  deem 
ed  inadmissible    by  the   former,   and    the    conse 
quence  was,  colonel  Burr  sent  him  a  challenge  to 
fight  a  duel.     On  the  morning  of  the   llth  July, 
1804,  the  parties  met  at  Hoboken,  on  the  New- Jer 
sey  shore,  the  very  spot  where,  a  short  time  before 
gen'eral  Hamilton's  eldest  son,  (in  obedience  to  the 
same  principle  of  honour,  and  in  the  violation  of 
the  laws  of  God  and  man !)  had  fallen  in  a  duel. 
On  the  first  fire,  Hamilton  received  the  ball  of  his 
antagonist,  and  immediately  fell.     He  was  carried 
to  the  city  of  New-York,  and  expired  the  follow 
ing  day  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M.  in  the  forty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.     Before  his  death,  he  expressed 
in  strong  terms,  his  abhorrence  of  the  practice  of 
duelling,  and  with  sincere  horror,  repented  of  hav 
ing  engaged  in  it.     He  professed  his  belief  in  the 
Christian  religion,  and  received  at  the  hands  of  bi 
shop  Moore  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper. 
Throughout  the  United  States  his  premature  fall 
excited  emotions  of  sorrow  that  were  inferior  only 
to  those  that  had  resulted  from  the  death  of  Wash 
ington. 

In  his  person  he  was  small,  and  short  in  stature. 
In  his  dress  he  was  plain,  in  his  disposition  social, 
in  his  manners  easy  and  affable,  in  his  affections 
warm,  in  his  friendship  steady,  in  his  feelings  ar 
dent,  and  in  his  general  deportment  a  well-bred 
gentleman.  His  powers  of  mind  were  of  the  first 
order.  His  eloquence  was  altogether  peculiar  and 
unique.  It  consisted  in  the  most  rich  and  splendid 
elocution,  united  to  the  closest  logical  reasoning — 
every  thing  he  uttered,  having  been  digested  and 
assimilated,  partook  of  the  diamond  qualities  of  his 
mind. 


150 

HARVARD,  JOHN,  the  founder  of  Harvard  college, 
Massachusetts.  On  his  demise,  in  1638,  by  his 
will  he  left  a  legacy  of  eight  hundred  pounds  to 
the  school  at  Cambridge,  to  which  the  general 
court  gave  four  hundred  pounds  more,  besides 
smaller  sums  from  several  other  benefactors. 

The  next  year  the  general  court  constituted  it  a 
college.  But  because  the  memorable  John  Har 
vard  led  the  way,  by  a  generosity  exceeding  most 
of  them,  his  name  was  justly  eternized,  says  the 
author  of  the  Magnalia,  by  its  having  the  name  of 
Harvard  College  imposed  upon  it. 


HOOKER,  THOMAS,  the  renowned  pastor  of  the 
church  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  was  born  in  the 
year  1586.  In  1633,  he  was  ordained  the  first  pas 
tor  of  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  from  whence,  in 
1636,  he  removed  with  a  hundred  others,  to  a  fer 
tile  spot  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  river, 
which  they  afterwards  called  Hartford. 

Here  he  was  the  chief  instrument  of  beginning 
another  colony.  He  often  visited  Boston ;  and 
whenever  he  preached,  his  great  fame  drew  crowd 
ed  assemblies.  This  great  man  died  July  7, 1647. 
Dr.  Mather  calls  him  the  Luther  of  the  American 
church. 

Mr.  Cotton  said,  that  he  did  "  Agmen  ducere  et 
dominari  in  concionibus,  gratia  spiritus  sancti  et 
virtute  pleriis ;"  and  that  he  was  "  ver  solertis  et 
acerrimi  judicii."  A  very  full  memoir  of  Mr.  Hook 
er  has  been  written  by  the  grandson  of  Mr.  Cot 
ton,  who  calls  him  the  light  of  the  western  church. 

Many  volumes  of  Mr.  Hooker's  sermons  were 
printed :  most  of  them  are  now  out  of  print.  His 
most  famous  work  is  the  survey  of  Church  Disci 
pline,  which  was  published  in  England  in  1648, 
under  the  inspection  of  the  famous  Dr.  Thomas 


151 

Goodwin,  who  says,  "  as  touching  this  treatise,  and 
the  worthy  author  of  it,  to  preface  any  thing  by 
commendation  of  either,  were  to  lay  paint  upon 
burnished  marble,  or  add  light  unto  the  sun." 


HOLLIS,  THOMAS,  the  founder  of  two  professor 
ships  in  Cambridge  university,  Massachusetts,  died 
in  February,! 731,  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
two  years.  In  1727,  the  net  produce  of  his  dona 
tions,  exclusive  of  gifts  non  vendible,  amounted  to 
fourteen  thousand  and  nine  hundred  pounds,  the 
interest  of  which  he  directed  to  be  appropriated  to 
the  support  of  the  professorships  of  divinity  and 
mathematics :  likewise  to  the  treasurer  of  the  col 
lege,  and  to  ten  poor  students  in  divinity. 

His  nephew,  Thomas  Hollis,  who  died  in  1774, 
had  a  most  ardent  attachment  to  liberty,  and  en 
deavoured  to  promote  it  by  the  publication  and  dis 
tribution  of  books,  which  vindicates  the  rights  of 
man.  His  benefactions  to  the  library  of  Harvard 
college  amounted  to  fourteen  hundred  pounds  ster 
ling. 


HUNTINGTON,  SAMUEL,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  Wind- 
ham,  Connecticut,  July  3,  1732.  Having  received 
an  excellent  English  education,  by  his  own  inde 
fatigable  exertions  he  acquired  a  knowledge  of  the 
languages.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  having  at 
tained  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  general  prin 
ciples  ^  of  law,  he  commenced  his  professional  ca 
reer  in  his  native  town. 

In  the  year  1760,  he  removed  to  Norwich?  where 


152 

he  soon  attracted  notice,  and  entered  on  u  success 
ful  and  extensive  practice. 

In  1764,  Mr.  Huntington  commenced  his  politi 
cal  career,  and  was  elected  to  the  general  assem 
bly.  Being  decided  in  his  opposition  to  the  claims 
and  oppressions  of  the  British  parliament,  and  ac 
tive  in  his  exertions  in  favour  of  the  colonies,  the 
general  assembly  of  Connecticut,  properly  appre 
ciating  his  talents  and  patriotism,  elected  him  a 
delegate  to  the  general  congress  of  1776. 

He  took  his  seat  in  that  venerable  assembly,  and 
in  the  subsequent  month  of  July,  affixed  his  signa 
ture  to  an  instrument  which  has  excited  the  admira 
tion  of  all  contemporary  nations,  and  will  continue 
to  be  cherished  and  maintained,  so  long  as  free 
principles  and  free  institutions  are  permitted  to 
exist.  He  zealously  and  unremittingly  performed 
the  duties  of  the  office  of  delegate  to  congress,  dur 
ing  the  years  1776,  '77,  '78,  '79,  and  '80,  when  he  re 
turned  to  Connecticut,  and  resumed  his  seat  on  the 
bench,  and  in  the  council.  In  1779,  he  was  elect 
ed,  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Jay,  who  was  appointed  a 
minister  to  Spain,  president  to  congress;  and  in 
1780,  was  re-elected  to  the  same  honourable  office, 
which  he  continued  to  fill  with  dignity,  until  his 
health  was  so  much  impaired,  by  his  close  applica 
tion  to  business,  that  he  was  obliged  to  resign  it, 
which  he  did  in  July,  1781,  and  a  few  days  after 
received  the  thanks  of  congress  for  his  able  ser 
vices. 

Having  partially  recovered,  Mr.  Huntington  re 
sumed  his  judicial  functions  in  the  superior  court 
of  his  state.  Mr.  Huntington  accepted  of  a  re-elec 
tion  to  congress  in  1783,  and  after  serving  for  a 
short  time,  he  finally  retired  from  the  great  council 
of  the  nation,  of  which  he  had  so  long  been  a  con 
spicuous  and  influential  member. 

In  1786,  he  succeeded  Mr.  Griswold,  as  governor 
of  the  state,  and  continued  to  be  annually  re-elect 
ed  until  his  death. 


153 

This  excellent  man,  and  undeviating  patriot,  died 
in  Norwich,  on  the  5th  January,  1796. 

Governor  Huntington  was  a  man  of  profound 
thought  and  penetration,  of  great  prudence  and 
practical  wisdom,  of  patient  investigation,  and  sin 
gular  perseverance,  and  of  distinguished  modera 
tion  and  equanimity. 

His  deportment  in  domestic  life  was  excellent ; 
his  temper  serene ;  and  his  disposition  benevolent. 
He  was  of  a  cheerful  and  social  disposition;  of 
great  simplicity  and  plainness  of  manners ;  and 
as  a  professor  of  Christianity,  he  was 
and  devout. 


HOPKINS,  SAMUEL,  DD.  an 
whom  the  Christians,  called  Hopkinsians,  derive 
their  name,  was  born  in  Waterbury,  Connecticut, 
September  17,  1721.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he 
entered  Yale  college,  and  was  graduated  in  Sep 
tember,  1741. 

In  December  following,  he  went  to  Northamp 
ton,  Massachusetts,  to  pursue  the  study  of  divinity 
with  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards.  After  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  in  May,  1742,  he  still  continued 
at  Northampton,  engaged  in  his  theological  studies, 
and  preaching  occasionally  in  the  neighbouring 
towns.  In  December,  1743,  he  was  ordained  pas 
tor  of  the  church  at  Great  Harrington,  at  which 
place  he  preached  for  more  than  twenty-five  years. 
He  was  afterwards  invited  to  Newport,  Rhode- 
Island,  by  the  people  of  the  first  congregational 
church,  and  was  ordained  their  minister  in  1770, 
over  which  he  presided  until  the  day  of  his  death, 
December  20?  1803,  in  the  eighty-third  year  of  his 
age. 

Dr.  Hopkins  was  a  man  of  great  abilities  in  his 
profession,  a  profound  metaphysician,  eminent  as  a 

20 


154 

writer  of  polemic  divinity,  but  more  eminent  as 
the  head  of  a  denomination  of  Christian  profes 
sors,  which  have  greatly  increased  in  New-Eng 
land. 

He  published  several  valuable  works,  among 
which  his  "  System  of  Doctrines,"  contained  in  di 
vine  revelation,  explained  and  defended,  to  which 
is  added  a  Treatise  on  the  Millennium,  2  volumes, 
8vo.  ranks  highest,  and  on  which  his  reputation 
principally  rests. 


HALL,  LYMAN,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  declara 
tion  of  independence,  was  born  in  Connecticut 
about  the  year  1731,  where  he  received  a  classical 
education,  and  commenced  the  study  of  medicine. 
In  1752,  he  married  and  removed  to  South  Caro 
lina.  During  the  same  year  he  again  changed  his 
residence,  arid  established  himself  at  Sunbury, 
Georgia,  where  he  commenced  the  practice  of 
physic. 

On  the  commencement  of  .^hostilities  with  Great 
Britain,  he  engaged  warmly  in  the  cause  of  his 
country,  and  in  consideration  of  his  eminent  ser 
vices,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  general 
congress  of  1775.  r' 

On  the  20th  May,  1776,  Mr.  Hall,  on  his  arrival 
to  congress,  presented  new  credentials  from  the 
convention  of  Georgia,  confirming  the  re-election 
of  Messrs.  Houston,  Bullock,  and  himself,  and  the 
addition  of  George  Walton  and  Button  Gwinnett 
to  the  delegation.  The  appointment  of  Mr.  Bul 
lock  to  the  presidency  of  the  provincial  council 
prevented  him  from  proceeding  to  congress.  Mr. 
Houston  was  directed,  by  a  resolution  of  that  body, 
to  return  to  Georgia  on  public  business  in  June, 
1776;  henee  only  three  members  from  that  state 


155 

were  present  at  the  signing  of  the  declaration  of 
independence. 

Mr.  Hall  was  re-elected  to  congress  a  third  time  ; 
and  in  1780,  he  made  his  final  appearance  as  a  na 
tional  legislator.  In  1783,  he  was  elected  gover 
nor  of  the  state.  He  afterwards  retired  from  pub 
lic  life,  and  died  about  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age. 

Although  Mr.  Hall  does  not  appear  to  have  act 
ed  a  very  conspicuous  part  in  the  proceedings  of 
congress,  yet  he  possessed  strong  powers  of  mind, 
and  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  flourish  in  the  perplex 
ing  and  perilous  scenes  of  the  revolution. 


HEATH,  WILLIAM,  a  major-general  in  the  Ameri 
can  army,  during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born 
at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  about  the  year  1737. 

At  an  early  period  of  the  contest  of  the  colonies 
with  Great-Britain,  he  was  an  active  officer  of  the 
militia,  and  in  consideration  of  his  zeal  and  pa 
triotism  in  the  cause  of  liberty,  he  was  appointed 
by  the  provincial  congress,  in  1775,  a  brigadier- 
general. 

In  August,  1776,  he  was  by  congress  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  major-general  in  the  continental 
army. 

From  1777,  to  1778,  he  was  the  commanding  of 
ficer  of  the  eastern  department,  and  on  him  was 
devolved  the  arduous  and  responsible  duty  of  keep 
ing  in  charge  the  officers  and  troops  captured  at 
Saratoga.  In  all  his  proceedings  with  these  turbu 
lent  captives,  he  supported  the  authority  of  con 
gress,  and  the  honour  and  dignity  of  his  office.  In 
the  most  interesting  and  critical  circumstances  in 
which  a  general  could  possibly  be  placed,  he  uni 
formly  exhibited  a  prudence,  animation,  decision, 
and  firmness,  which  have  done  him  honour,  and 
fully  justified  the  confidence  reposed  in  him.  In 


156 

consideration  of  his  faithful  performance  of  this 
trust,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  in  1779,  a 
commissioner  of  the  board  of  war. 

In  1780,  he  was  directed  by  general  Washing 
ton  to  repair  to  Rhode-Island,  to  make  arrange 
ments  for  the  reception  of  the  French  fleet  and 
army. 

In  May,  1781,  he  was  directed  by  the  command- 
er-in-chief  to  repair  to  the  New-England  states,  to 
represent  to  their  respective  executives  the  dis 
tressing  condition  of  our  army,  and  to  solicit  a 
speedy  supply  of  provisions  and  clothing,  in  which 
he  was  successful. 

As  senior  major-general,  he  was  more  than  once 
commander  of  the  right  wing  of  our  army,  and 
during  the  absence  of  the  commander-in-chief,  at 
the  siege  of  Yorktown,  he  was  entrusted  with  the 
command  of  the  main  army  posted  at  the  high 
lands,  and  vicinity.  On  hostilities  having  ceased 
between  the  two  armies,  general  Washington,  in 
1784,  addressed  a  letter  to  general  Heath,  express 
ing  his  thanks  for  his  meritorious  services,  and  his 
real  affection  and  esteem. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  war,  general 
Heath  was  called  again  into  public  service  in  civil 
life,  and  continued  to  hold  a  seat  in  the  legislature 
of  Massachusetts  till  1793,  when  he  was  appointed 
by  governor  Hancock,  judge  of  probate  for  the 
county  of  Norfolk.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the 
state  convention  which  ratified  the  federal  consti 
tution. 

In  1806,  he  was  elected  lieutenant-governor  of 
Massachusetts,  but  declined  accepting  the  honour. 

He  was  more  than  once  an  elector  of  president 
and  vice-president  of  the  United  States. 

He  died  at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  January  24, 
1814,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 


157 

HOPKINSON,  FRANCIS,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  Philadel 
phia,  about  the  year  1737. 

On  receiving  the  honours  of  the  college  of  Phi 
ladelphia,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  and 
in  a  few  years  rose  to  distinguished  eminence  in 
his  profession. 

With  talents,  ample,  quick,  and  versatile,  he  cul 
tivated  not  only  the  lighter  accomplishments,  but 
was  skilled  in  many  of  the  practical  and  useful 
sciences. 

Soon  after  he  had  completed  his  course  of  pro 
fessional  studies,  he  was  called  into  active  life  ; 
and  in  the  year  1761,  officiated  as  secretary  in  a 
solemn  conference  held  with  the  Indians  by  order 
of  the  government  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  1765,  he  visited  England ;  but  as  soon  as  the 
clouds  began  to  gather  round  our  political  horizon, 
and  the  unjustifiable  oppressions  of  the  British  go 
vernment  became  more  daring  and  decided,  glow 
ing  with  love  of  country,  and  feeling  in  unison  with 
his  fellow  citizens  a  becoming  indignation  at  the 
rapid  encroachments  of  an  usurped  power,  he  im 
mediately  embarked  for  America,  and  on  his  ar 
rival,  he  employed  his  pen  in  support  of  his  op 
pressed  country. 

In  1776,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  congress 
from  the  state  of  New-Jersey,  and  participated 
largely  in  the  proceedings  of  that  enlightened  as 
sembly,  and  afterwards  affixed  his  name  to  the  ever 
memorable  declaration  of  independence.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  judge  of  the  admiralty  for 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  This  office  he  held  un 
til  1790,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of 
judge  of  the  district  court.  In  each  of  these  judi 
cial  offices  he  conducted  himself  with  integrity  and 
ability. 

He  was  an  active  and  useful  member  of  the  great 
parties  which,  at  different  times,  divided  his  native 
state.  He  was  a  whig,  a  republican,  and  a  fcde- 


158 

)  and  he  lived  to  see  the  principles  and  wishes 
of  each  of  those  parties  finally  and  universally  suc 
cessful.  Although  his  labours  had  been  rewarded 
with  many  plentiful  harvests  of  well  earned  fame, 
yet  his  death  to  his  country  and  his  friends  was 
premature.  He  died  suddenly  on  the  morning  of 
the  9th  of  May,  1791. 

In  person,  Mr.  Hopkinson  was  a  little  below  the 
common  size.  His  features  were  small,  but  ex 
tremely  animated.  His  speech  was  quick,  and  all 
his  motion  seemed  to  partake  of  the  unceasing  ac 
tivity  and  versatility  of  the  powers  of  his  mind. 

As  a  writer,  for  humour  and  satire,  he  was  not 
excelled  by  Lucian,  Swift,  or  Rabelais.  Among 
the  various  causes  which  contributed  to  the  esta 
blishment  of  the  independence  and  federal  govern 
ment  of  the  United  States,  not  a  little  may  be 
ascribed  to  the  irresistible  influence  of  his  satire, 
which  he  poured  forth  from  time  to  time  upon  the 
enemies  of  those  great  political  events. 

His  occasional  writings  have  been  collected  and 
published  in  three  volumes  octavo. 


HANCOCK,  JOHN,  president  of  congress,  and  a  dis 
tinguished  patriot,  was  born  near  Quincy,  Massa 
chusetts,  about  the  year  1737.  After  receiving  the 
honours  of  Cambridge  university,  he  entered  as  a 
clerk  in  the  counting-house  of  his  uncle,  and  was 
regarded  by  his  friends  as  an  amiable  young  man ; 
but  he  discovered  no  prominent  traits  of  character 
which  could  lead  his  acquaintance  to  prognosticate 
the  conspicuous  figure  he  was  afterwards  to  make 
in  society. 

At  the  death  of  his  uncle,  he  inherited  his  im 
mense  estate,  and  soon  after  commenced  his  pub 
lic  career.  He  was  first  chosen  selectman  of  the 
town  of  Boston,  and  in  the  year  1766,  he  was  elect- 


ed  with  Otis,  Gushing,  and  Samuel  Adams,  a  mem 
ber  of  the  general  assembly  of  the  province. 

On  taking  his  seat,  he  was  flattered  by  marks  of 
confidence  and  distinction :  he  was  generally  chosen 
on  committees,  and  was  chairman  upon  some  occa 
sions  when  the  deliberations  involved  the  highest 
interests  of  the  community. 

As  soon  as  the  controversy  with  Great-Britain 
grew  warm,  and  all  hopes  of  accommodation  had 
vanished,  he  entered  into  the  non-importation 
agreement,  and  all  other  acts  which  were  expedi 
ent  to  keep  inviolate  the  liberties  of  the  people. 

In  consideration  of  his  zeal  and  attachment  to 
the  rights  of  his  country,  he  was  called  to  preside 
over  the  provincial  assembly,  and  was  afterwards 
elected  a  member  of  the  general  congress  which 
met  at  Philadelphia  in  May,  1775;  and  before  the 
close  of  the  session,  he  was  elected  president  of 
that  august  body,  in  the  place  of  Peyton  Randolph, 
who  was  under  the  necessity  of  returning  home. 

In  this  office,  as  the  head  of  the  illustrious  con 
gress,  of  1776,  he  signed  the  declaration  of  inde 
pendence. 

In  consequence  of  the  ill  state  of  his  health,  he 
took  his  leave  of  congress  in  October,  1777,  and 
received  their  thanks  for  his  unremitted  attention 
and  steady  impartiality  in  discharging  the  duties 
of  his  office.  Henry  Laurens  was  his  successor. 

On  the  adoption  of  the  present  constitution  of 
Massachusetts,  he  was  chosen  the  first  governor  in 
October,  1780.  He  was  annually  continued  in  that 
office  until  the  year  1785,  when  he  resigned;  and 
after  an  intermission  of  two  years,  during  which  he 
had  been  succeeded  by  Mr.  Bowdoin,  was  re-elect 
ed,  and  remained  in  the  chair  until  the  conclusion 
of  his  life. 

In  1787,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  state 
convention,  which  met  to  ratify  and  adopt  the  fe 
deral  constitution.  His  influence  and  agency  in 
promoting  its  adoption  may  be  mentioned  with  the 


160 

objects  which  most  recommend  him  to  esteem 
amongst  his  cotemporaries,  and  which  entitle  him 
to  the  regard  of  posterity. 

The  latter  years  of  his  administration  were  very 
popular,  on  account  of  the  public  tranquillity.  The 
federal  government  became  the  source  of  so  much 
prosperity,  that  the  people  were  easy  and  happy. 

He  died  suddenly  on  the  8th  October,  1793,  in 
the  fifty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Hancock  was  above  the  middle  size,  of  ex 
cellent  proportion  of  limbs,  and  of  extreme  benig 
nity  of  countenance.  He  was  easy  in  his  address, 
polished  in  manners,  affable  and  liberal;  and  as 
president  of  congress,  he  exhibited  a  dignity,  im 
partiality,  quickness  of  conception,  and  constant 
attention  to  business,  which  secured  him  respect. 
Of  his  talents  it  is  a  sufficient  evidence,  that,  in  the 
various  stations  to  which  his  fortune  had  elevated 
him  in  the  republic,  he  acquitted  himself  with  an 
honourable  distinction  and  capacity.  His  commu 
nications  to  the  general  assembly,  and  his  corre 
spondence  as  president  of  congress,  are  titles  of 
no  ordinary  commendation. 

As  an  orator,  he  spoke  with  ease  and  propriety 
on  every  subject.  Being  considered  as  a  repub 
lican  in  principles,  and  a  firm  supporter  of  the 
cause  of  freedom,  whenever  he  consented  to  be  a 
candidate  for  governor,  he  was  chosen  to  that  of 
fice  by  an  immense  majority.  In  private  life  he 
was  charitable  and  generous — indeed,  there  are  few 
lives,  either  ancient  or  modern,  that  afford,  of  dis 
interested  generosity,  more  frequent  and  illustrious 
examples.  Charity  was  the  common  business  of 
his  life.  From  his  private  benevolence,  a  thou 
sand  families  received  their  daily  bread ;  and  there 
is  perhaps  no  individual  mentioned  in  history,  who 
has  expended  a  more  ample  fortune  in  promoting 
the  liberties  of  his  country.  He  was  also  a  gene 
rous  benefactor  of  Harvard  college. 


161 

HUTCHINSON,  THOMAS,  governor  of  Massachu 
setts,  was  a  native  of  Boston,  and  was  descended 
from  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  honourable  fa 
milies  in  New-England. 

At  the  age  of  twelve,  he  was  admitted  into  Har 
vard  college ;  and  took  the  honours  of  that  insti 
tution  in  1727.  He  turned  his  attention  to  mer 
cantile  pursuits,  and  in  a  few  years  afterwards  he 
rose  to  the  highest  offices  of  his  state.  He  was 
now  stimulated  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the 
common  law  of  England,  and  to  bend  his  mind  to 
the  study  of  history  and  political  institutions.  Mr. 
Hutchinson's  popularity  soon  rose  very  high,  and 
he  was  regarded  as  the  friend  of  liberty. 

In  1761,  he  succeeded  Mr.  Sewall  as  chief  jus 
tice,  and  was  lieutenant-governor  from  1758  to 
1770. 

From  this  time  he  began  to  grow  unpopular  by 
promoting  the  writs  of  assistance,  which  Mr.  Otis 
opposed  with  such  force  of  argument ;  and  by  ad 
vocating  the  prerogatives  of  the  crown,  rather  than 
the  rights  of  the  people.  He  was  also  suspected 
of  having  forwarded  the  stamp  act,  and  of  advising 
by  letters  which  he  sent  to  England,  "  to  abridge 
the  colonial  privileges." 

After  the  arrival  of  the  stamps,  in  1765,  a  mob 
assaulted  his  house,  pulled  down  his  office,  and 
forced  him  to  flee  for  safety. 

When  Bernard  returned  to  England,  at  the  close 
of  the  year  1769,  Mr.  Hutchinson  was  appointed 
governor.  From  this  time  he  became  completely 
subservient  to  the  views  of  the  British  ministry. 

He  advocated,  and  strenuously  asserted,  the  right 
of  parliament  to  tax  America.  He  was  the  means 
of  bringing  the  regular  troops  to  Boston  to  over 
awe  the  people,  and  to  enforce  the  tyrannical  laws 
of  parliament ;  and  he  was  inflexible  in  his  deter 
mination  to  retain  them,  notwithstanding  every  ar 
gument  which  was  used  for  their  removal. 

21 


162 

He  became  at  last  so  very  obnoxious  to  the  pro 
vince,  that  he  was  superseded  by  general  Gage,  in 
1774.  He  embarked  for  England,  where  he  was 
called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  his  administra 
tion,  or  to  describe  the  state  of  the  colonies;  which 
he  did  in  such  a  manner,  as  met  the  views  and  de 
signs  of  the  British  cabinet,  who  made  a  report 
highly  in  his  favour,  and  was  acquitted. 

But  he  soon  experienced  the  neglect  of  those, 
to  the  promotion  of  whose  plans  he  had  sacrificed 
his  reputation  for  integrity,  and  to  whom  he  had 
been  ready  to  yield  the  rights  of  his  country. 

Becoming  an  object  of  disgust  with  all  parties,  he 
lived  many  months  in  a  state  of  chagrin  and  des 
pondency,  and  died  at  Brampton,  in  June,  1780. 

His  works  are  a  history  of  Massachusetts,  in  two 
volumes ;  and  a  collection  of  original  papers  rela 
tive  to  the  history  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts 
bay,  in  one  volume  octavo.. 

The  style  is  bad,  but  they  are  much  esteemed 
as  a  valuable  collection  of  facts. 


HEYWARD,  THOMAS,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  de 
claration  of  independence,  was  born  in  South  Ca 
rolina,  in  the  year  1746.  His  father,  who  was  a 
wealthy  planter,  gave  him  a  classical  education. 

He  then  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  with 
Mr.  Parsons,  a  celebrated  lawyer  in  that  day. 
After  the  usual  term  of  study,  he  was  sent  to  Eng 
land,  as  was  the  usual  custom,  to  complete  his  le 
gal  education.  After  completing  his  studies  in  the 
Middle  Temple,  Mr.  Heyward  spent  several  years 
in  travel,  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 

On  his  return  home,  in  1773,  he  soon  became 
a  favourite  with  the  people.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  assembly,  and  shortly  afterwards, 
a  member  of  the  council  of  safety,  an  office  be- 


163 

stowed  only  on  the  fearless  and  prudent.  His 
fidelity  and  patriotism  in  these  trusts  recommend 
ed  him  to  higher  honours,  and  in  1775,  he  was 
elected  to  congress,  to  fill  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  John  Rutledge,  Esq. 

He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  in  time  to  attend 
upon  the  discussion  of  the  declaration  of  indepen 
dence;  and  found  himself  in  that  assembly  of 
sages,  whose  sagacity  and  intrepidity  had  remind 
ed  a  Chatham  of  the  fathers  of  ancient  Rome. 

His  first  duty,  that  he  was  called  upon  to  dis 
charge,  was  to  unite  in  signing  that  memorable  in 
strument. 

In  1778,  he  was  elected  a  judge  of  the  criminal 
and  civil  courts  of  his  state. 

Mr.  Heyward,  on  the  invasion  of  the  southern 
states,  bore  arms  in  the  defence  of  his  country, 
and  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery  and  in 
trepidity.  At  the  surrender  of  Charleston,  he 
commanded  a  battalion  of  troops,  and  was  parti 
cularly  obnoxious,  together  with  other  fearless  pa 
triots,  to  the  British.  Among  other  prisoners,  he 
was  sent  to  St.  Augustine.  On  the  cessation  of 
hostilities,  he  was  released,  and  returned  to  Phila 
delphia.  Upon  his  return  to  Carolina,  he  resumed 
the  labours  of  the  bench,  and  continued  to  act  as 
judge  until  1798. 

In  1790,  he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  con 
vention  for  forming  a  state  constitution.  On  see 
ing  the  states  happily  united  under  the  federal  con 
stitution,  he  withdrew  himself  in  1791  from  public 
labours  and  cares,  to  the  retirement  of  private  life. 
He  died  at  his  country  seat  in  March,  1809. 

In  his  public  duties,  he  was  honest,  firm,  and 
intelligent.  He  conscientiously  and  fearlessly  em 
barked  in  the  revolution,  and  devoted  with  Ro 
man  virtue,  his  life,  estate,  and  reputation,  in  the 
cause  of  American  liberty  and  independence. 


164 


JEFFERSON,  THOMAS,  JLL.  D.  third  president  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in  Chesterfield  county, 
Virginia,  April  2,  1743. 

He  re  reived  the  honours  of  the  college  of  Wil 
liam  and  Mary  at  an  early  age,  and  was  distinguish 
ed  for  great  scholarship,  lie  then  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law  with  the  late  George  Wythe,  chan 
cellor  of  Virginia,  and  in  a  few  years  made  great 
proficiency,  and  was  admitted  to  practice,  His 
uncommon  qualifications  soon  brought  him  into 
notice,  and  before  he  had  reached  his  twenty-fifth 
year,  he  was  a  conspicuous  member  of  the  Virginia 
legislature,  and  had  subsequently  a  large  share  in 
all  those  determined,  measures  of  that  body,  with 
regard  to  Great  Britain,  which  finally  led  to  the 
call  of  a  general  congress. 

In  1775,  when  the  propositions  of  lord  North 
were  laid  before  the  assembly  by  the  governor  for 
their  consideration,  he  was  unanimously  appointed 
to  answer  them.  His  reply  on  this  occasion  was 
not  only  eloquent,  but  exhibits  a  mind  of  liberal  and 
enlarged  views.  A  few  days  after,  he  was  elected 
a  delegate  to  the  general  congress,  which  had  con 
vened  at  Philadelphia.  In  this  enlightened  assem 
bly,  he  had  scarcely  appeared  before  he  became 
conspicuous  among  those  the  most  distinguished 
by  their  abilities  and  patriotism.  And  while  he 
pursued  a  bold  and  undeviating  course  towards  the 
great  object  of  independence,  was  enabled  by  his 
example,  as  wrell  as  by  his  arguments,  to  encourage 
and  confirm  others. 

The  declaration  of  independence  is  justly  attri 
buted  to  his  pen,  the  merits  of  which  it  is  unne 
cessary  to  canvass :  not  only  America,  but  all  Eu 
rope,  too,  has  long  since  decided  on  its  claims 
to  excellence.  The  onlv  nlteration*  the  original 


105 

draft  of  this  celebrated  production  received  in  the 
committee,  were  from  Dr.  Franklin  and  John 
Adams,  each  of  whom  suggested  a  single  verbal 
variation. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  year  1777,  to 
the  middle  of  1779,  he  was  engaged  with  Pendleton 
and  Wythe,  in  making  a  general  revisal  of  the  laws 
of  Virginia ;  in  which  he  bore  a  considerable  share, 
and  to  whom  Virginia  is  indebted  for  the  most  im 
portant  and  beneficial  changes  in  her  code. 

The  laws,  forbidding  the  future  importation  of 
slaves  ;  converting  estates  tail  into  fee  simple  ;  an 
nulling  the  rights  of  primogeniture ;  establishing 
schools  for  general  education;  sanctioning  the 
right  of  expatriation  ;  confirming  the  rights  of  free 
dom  of  religious  opinions ;  and  for  proportioning 
crimes  and  punishments. 

In  1779,  he  succeeded  Patrick  Henry  as  gover 
nor  of  Virginia,  and  was  re-appointed  in  the  follow 
ing  year. 

During  the  tumult  and  confusion  of  the  year 
1781,  he  composed  his  celebrated  work,  "  Notes 
on  Virginia.''  It  was  written  in  reply  to  the  que 
ries  proposed  to  him  by  Monsieur  de  Marbois,  at 
the  suggestion  of  the  French  court. 

About  the  close  of  the  year  1782,  he  was  appoint^ 
ed  minister  plenipotentiary,  to  join  those  in  Europe, 
who  were  to  determine  on  the  conditions  of  a  treaty 
of  peace,  which  it  was  expected  would  soon  be  en 
tered  into.  But  before  he  embarked,  intelligence 
was  received!  that  preliminaries  of  peace  between 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  had  been  sign 
ed  :  accordingly,  congress  dispensed  with  his  leav 
ing  America. 

In  the  summer  of  1782,  he  was  in  congress,  at 
the  time  the  Virginia  convention  were  establishing 
their  form  of  government.  He  had  been  for  some 
time  engaged  on  this  subject,  and  had  prepared  a 
constitution  for  the  state,  formed  on  the  purest 
principles  of  republicanism,  and  which  was  proba- 


166 

bly  the  first  draft  of  a  fundamental    constitution 
made  by  any  man  in  America. 

This  he  transmitted  to  the  convention,  but  it  did 
not  reach  them  until  the  day  when  the  one  that  had 
been  prepared  by  the  house  was  to  have  received 
its  final  vote.  It  was  therefore  set  aside,  adopting 
only  the  preamble.  On  the  establishment  of  peace, 
and  the  consequent  opening  of  a  general  commer 
cial  intercourse,  plenipotentiary  commissions  for 
the  concluding  treaties  of  commerce,  were  given  to 
Thomas  Jefferson,  Dr.  Franklin,  and  John  Adams, 
addressed  to  the  several  powers  of  Europe,  and  he 
sailed  from  the  United  States  in  July,  1784.  A 
commercial  treaty  with  Prussia,  was  the  only  re 
sult  of  these  general  commissions,  immediately 
after  the  signing  of  which,  Dr.  Franklin  returned 
to  America,  and  Mr.  Jefferson  was  appointed  his 
successor  as  minister  to  France. 

During  his  residence  in  France,  he,  at  the  re 
quest  of  his  native  state,  presented  to  the  city  of 
Paris,  the  bust  of  the  gallant  Marquis  de  La 
Fayette. 

The  leisure,  as  minister,  which  was  imposed 
on  him,  by  the  increasing  distraction  of  the  coun 
try,  allowed  him  the  opportunity  of  cultivating  his 
acquaintance  with  the  fine  arts,  and  of  enjoying  the 
society  and  conversation  of  men  celebrated  in  litera 
ture  and  science. 

In  October,  1789,  he  obtained  leave  to  return 
home,  and  arrived  at  Norfolk  in  the  following  No 
vember.  On  his  way  to  his  seat  at  Monticello,  he 
was  met  by  an  express  from  president  Washington, 
bringing  him  a  commission  as  secretary  of  state. 
This  he  accepted,  and  in  the  April  following,  pro 
ceeded  to  New-York,  then  the  seat  of  government, 
and  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  in  which 
he  continued  until  the  first  of  January,  1794,  when 
he  resigned  the  situation,  and  retired  to  private 
life.  The  arduous  and  important  duties  of  his  sta 
tion,  are  universally  acknowledged  to  have  been 


Lo'7 

discharged  in  a  manner  to  reflect  the  highest  credit 
on  himself  and  country.  The  neutrality  of  the 
United  States  was  maintained  at  a  most  trying 
period,  with  inflexible  impartiality  towards  the  bel 
ligerent  powers  of  France  and  England  :  and  his 
deportment  towards  Hammond  and  Genet,  the 
ministers  resident  of  two  great  rival  powers,  fur 
nishes  the  clearest  evidence  of  his  consummate 
ability  as  a  statesman. 

A  few  other  of  his  acts  while  secretary,  ought, 
perhaps,  to  be  noticed,  as  they  are  calculated  to 
show,  in  various  lights,  the  wonderful  extent  of  his 
capacity.  Among  these  might  be  particularized, 
his  reports  on  the  privileges  and  restrictions  of 
commerce,  and  on  the  whale  and  cod  fish 
eries  ;  with  his  plan  for  reducing  the  currency, 
weights,  and  measures  of  the  United  States,  to  an 
uniform  standard.  It  has  been  observed,  that  these 
papers  evince  not  only  the  feelings  of  a  patriot,  and 
the  judgment  of  an  accomplished  statesman,  but 
display,  at  the  same  time,  uncommon  talents  and 
knowledge  as  a  mathematician  and  natural  philoso 
pher,  the  deepest  research  as  an  historian,  and 
even  an  enlarged  acquaintance  with  the  business 
and  concerns  of  a  merchant. 

In  1797,  he  was  elected  vice-president,  and  in 
1801,  president  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
For  eight  years,  he  filled  this  exalted  station  with 
great  ability  and  wisdom,  and  at  the  expiration  of 
which,  he  withdrew  for  the  remainder  of  his  days, 
from  the  political  theatre.  The  admiration,  the 
gratitude,  and  the  regrets  of  the  nation  followed 
him. 

Among  the  most  noted  acts  of  his  administration, 
was  the  purchase  of  the  extensive  country  of  Lou 
isiana;  and  no  one  displays  in  a  truer  light  the 
character  of  his  mind,  replete  with  philanthropy 
and  the  love  of  science,  than  his  almost  immediate 
directions  for  the  exploration  of  that  vast  region. 

Since  the  year  1776,  he  has  been  the  president 


168 

of  the  American  philosophical  society,  and  is  a 
member  of  many  of  the  "most  learned  societies  in 
Europe  and  America. 

Until  lately,  he  possessed  the  most  extensive, 
rare,  and  valuable  collection  of  books,  in  almost 
every  language,  and  on  nearly  all  subjects ;  but  on 
the  destruction  of  the  national  library  at  Washing 
ton,  by  the  British,  in  1814,  he  at  once  proposed, 
for  a  moderate  price,  to  transfer  the  greater  por 
tion  of  his  books  to  the  United  States,  and  they 
accordingly  became  the  property  of  the  nation. 
He  now  resides  at  his  elegant  retreat  at  Monticello, 
happy  in  the  consciousness  of  a  well  spent  life, 
and  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  retaining  his 
mental  faculties  and  bodily  energies  in  a  remarka 
ble  degree. 

In  person,  he  is  tall  and  of  slender  make;  his 
eyes  are  light,  and  full  of  intelligence  ;  his  com 
plexion  fair,  and  his  hair  inclining  to  red.  In  con 
versation,  he  is  free  and  communicative.  All  to 
pics  that  fall  under  discussion,  are  treated  by  him, 
with  equal  unreservedness.  He  seems,  indeed,  to 
have  no  thought  or  opinion  to  conceal,  and  his 
stores  of  knowledge  are  unlocked  and  laid  open 
with  the  same  freedom  in  which  nature  unfolds  her 
bounties.  They  lie  before  you,  and  you  have  only 
to  select  and  enjoy.  In  manner,  he  is  frequently 
pointed,  and  sometimes  energetic,  but  always  mild, 
and  occasionally  pleasant  and  facetious. 

The  scientific  and  literary,  throughout  the  Uni'on, 
have  always  looked  upon  him  as  their  adviser  and 
patron ;  and  have,  indeed,  seldom  failed  to  gain 
considerable  advantage  by  their  applications. 


JACKSON,  ANDREW,  a  major-general  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  near  Camden, 
South-Carolina,  March  15, 1767.  He  was  sent  to  a 


109 

flourishing  academy  at  the  Waxaw  settlement, 
where  he  remained,  occupied  with  the  dead  lan 
guages,  until  the  revolutionary  war  brought  the  ene 
my  into  his  neighbourhood,  whose  approach  left  no 
alternative  but  the  choice  of  the  British  or  Ameri 
can  banners.  The  intrepid  and  ardent  boy,  encou 
raged  by  his  patriotic  mother,  hastened,  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  in  company  with  one  of  his  brothers,  and 
joined  the  American  standard,  and  shared  the  glory 
of  the  well-fought  action  at  Stono.  Not  long  af 
ter,  the  Americans  engaged  the  British  army,  and 
were  routed,  and  our  hero  was  taken  among  the 
prisoners.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  returned  to 
his  classical  studies,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
repaired  to  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  to  a  law 
yer's  office,  in  which  he  prepared  himself  for  the 
bar. 

In  the  winter  of  1786,  he  obtained  a  license  to 
practise,  from  thence  he  removed  to  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  and  there  fixed  his  residence.  Suc 
cess  attended  his  industry  and  talents,  and  ere 
long,  he  was  appointed  attorney-general  for  the 
district.  *•* 

In  1796,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  con-\ 
vention,  to  frame  a  constitution  for  the  state.  In 
this  body  he  acquired  additional  distinction,  which 
placed  him  in  the  same  year  in  congress,  in  the 
house  of  representatives,  and  the  following  year  in 
the  senate  of  the  United  States. 

He  acted  invariably  with  the  republican  party,  and 
was  esteemed  for  the  soundness  of  his  understand 
ing  and  the  moderation  of  his  demeanour. 

While  a  senator,  he  was  chosen  by  the  field  offi 
cers  of  the  Tennesse  militia,  without  consultation 
with  him,  major-general  of  their  division,  and  so 
remained  until  1814,  when  he  took  the  same  rank 
in  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

In  1799,  on  his  resignation  as  a  senator,  he  was 
appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supreme  court 
of  Tennessee.  He  accepted  this  appointment  with 


I*  *«*f 


no 

reluctance,  and  withdrew  from  the  bench  soon 
after,  with  the  determination  to  spend  the  rest  of 
his  life  in  tranquillity  and  seclusion,  on  a  beautiful 
farm  belonging  to  him,  on  the  Cumberland  river, 
about  ten  miles  from  Nashville. 

His  quiet  felicity,  however,  was  soon  broken  up, 
by  the  occurrence  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain. 
It  roused  his  martial  spirit,  and  drew  around  his 
standard  2500  men,  which  he  tendered  without 
delay  to  his  government.  In  November,  he  de 
scended  the  Missisippi,  for  the  defence  of  the 
lower  country,  which  was  then  thought  to  be  in 
danger.  As  soon  as  tranquillity  was  restored,  he 
returned  to  Nashville,  and  communicated  to  govern 
ment  the  Fesult  of  his  expedition. 

In  1813,  on  the  news  arriving  of  the  massacre  at 
Fort  Mimms,  by  a  party  of  the  British  and  a  strong 
body  of  the  Creek  Indians,  under  the  celebrated 
Tecumseh,  the  legislature  called  into  service  3500 
of  the  militia,  to  march  into  the  heart  of  the  Creek 
nation,  and  revenge  the  massacre. 

General  Jackson,  although  at  that  time  labour 
ing  under  severe  indisposition,  reached   the    en 
campment   on   the   7th  October,   1813,   and  took 
command  of  the  expedition.    The  first  battle  which 
he  fought  in  person  on  this  occasion,  was  at  the 
fort  of  Talladega,  a  fort  of  the  friendly  Cherokee 
Indians,  which  had  for  some  days  been  besieged 
by  near  2000  Creeks.     In  this  affair,  he  routed  the 
Indians,  with  a  loss  of  only  fifteen  killed  and  eighty 
wounded ;   while  that  of  the  Indians  was  upwards 
of  six  hundred.     The  want  of  provisions  obliged 
him  to  march  back  to  fort  Strother.     On  their  ar 
rival  there,  no  stores  were  found  by  the  famished 
troops,  owing  to  the  delinquency  of  the  contractors. 
The  sufferings  of  the  army  by  this  time  had  be 
come  incredible ;  the  militia  resolved  to  a  man  to 
abandon  the  service.    On  the  morning  when  they 
intended  to  carry  their  intention  into  effect,  gene 
ral  Jackson  drew  up  the  volunteer  companies  in 


171 

front  of  them,  and  gave  his  mandate  not  to  advance. 
The  firmness  displayed  on  this  occasion  was  so 
striking,  that  the  militia  returned  to  their  quarters, 
and  were  the  next  day,  in  their  turn,  employed  to 
put  in  check  a  part  of  the  volunteer  corps  who 
had  mutinied.  General  Jackson  was  obliged,  how 
ever,  to  withdraw  the  troops  from  fort  Strother, 
towards  fort  Deposite,  upon  the  condition  that  if 
they  met  supplies,  which  were  expected,  they  would 
return  and  prosecute  the  campaign.  They  had  not 
proceeded  more  than  ten  miles,  before  they  met 
150  beeves ;  but  their  faces  being  once  turned 
homeward,  they  resisted  his  order  to  march  back 
to  the  encampment.  The  scene  which  ensued  is 
characteristic  of  his  firmness  and  decision.  A 
whole  brigade  had  put  itself  in  the  attitude  for 
moving  off  forcibly  :  Jackson,  though  disabled  in 
his  left  arm,  seizing  a  musket,  and  resting  it  with 
his  right  hand  on  the  neck  of  his  horse,  he  threw 
himself  in  front  of  the  column,  and  threatened  to 
shoot  the  first  man  who  should  attempt  to  advance. 
Major  Reid  and  general  Coffee  placed  themselves 
by  his  side.  For  several  minutes  the  column  pre 
served  a  menacing  attitude,  yet  hesitated  to  pro 
ceed  :  at  length  it  quietly  turned  round,  and  agreed 
to  submit.  This  was  a  critical  period  :  but  for  the 
daring  intrepidity  of  Jackson,  the  campaign  would 
have  been  broken  up,  and  the  object  of  their  expe 
dition. 

A  third  considerable  mutiny,  which  happened 
not  long  after,  was  suppressed  by  personal  efforts 
of  the  same  kind. 

Once  more,  in  the  middle  of  January,  1814,  he 
was  on  his  march,  bending  his  course  to  a  part  of 
the  Tallapoosa  river,  near  the  mouth  of  a  creek, 
called  Emuckfaw.  On  the  21st,  at  night,  he  dis 
covered  he  was  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  ene 
my.  At  the  dawn  of  the  next  morning,  he  was 
fiercely  attacked  by  them.  The  whole  of  the  day 
was  spent  in  severe  fighting,  when  the  enemy  drew 


off  for  the  night.     The  next  clay,  the  enemy  return 
ed  to  the  conflict  with  renewed  ardour,  and  was* 
finally  routed.     The   loss  of  the   enemy  was  im 
mense. 

General  Jackson  then. moved  forward,  and  en 
camped  within  three  miles  of  fort  Strother.  Hav 
ing  accomplished  the  several  objects  of  this  perilous 
expedition,  in  February  he  discharged  the  volun 
teers  and  his  artillery  company,  receiving  in  their 
stead  fresh  militia,  drafted  for  the  occasion.  On 
the  16th  March,  he  altered  his  plan,  and  determin 
ed  to  penetrate  further  into  the  enemy's  country: 
he  accordingly  set  out  from  fort  Strother,  and  came 
up  with  the  enemy  at  the  village  of  Tohopeka, 
where  the  enemy  had  taken  much  pains  to  secure 
themselves  by  a  fortification.  On  the  27th,  gene 
ral  Jackson  attacked  the  enemy,  and  for  a  time  the 
contest  was  obstinate  and  bloody.  At  length  the 
Americans  proved  victorious,  after  one  of  the  most 
bloody  battles  which  we  have  recorded  on  the  an 
nals  of  Indian  warfare.  The  loss  of  the  enemy 
was  upwards  of  seven  hundred  killed,  besides  se 
veral  hundred  prisoners,  women  and  children,  who 
were  treated  with  tenderness  and  humanity.  Hav 
ing  thus  struck  a  decisive  blow,  the  hostile  tribes 
sued  for  peace,  which  was  granted  to  them,  on  cer 
tain  conditions:  those  who  rejected  them  sought 
refuge  along  the  coast,  and  in  Pensacola. 

All  resistance  being  at  an  end,  general  Jackson 
issued  orders  for  the  troops  to  be  marched  home 
and  discharged. 

The  complete  and  final  discomfiture  of  so  for 
midable  a  foe  as  this  confederacy  of  the  Creek 
tribes,  drew  the  attention  of  the  general  govern 
ment  to  the  Tennessee  commander,  and  in  consi 
deration  of  his  services,  he  was  promoted  as  a  bri 
gadier  and  brevet  major-general  in  the  regular  ar 
my,  May,  1814.  General  Jackson,  with  colonel 
Hawkins,  by  order  of  government,  was  deputed 
to  negotiate  with  the  vanquished  Indians,  for  the 


purpose  chiefly  of  restricting  their  limits,  so  as  to 
cut  off  their  communication  with  the  British  and 
Spanish  agents.  They  reached  their  place  of  des 
tination  on  the  10th  July,  and  by  the  10th  August, 
completely  effected  the  object  of  their  mission. 
During  this  transaction,  his  mind  was  struck  with 
the  importance  of  depriving  the  fugitive  and  refrac 
tory  Indians  of  the  aid  and  incitement  which  were 
administered  to  them  in  East  Florida.  For  this 
purpose,  he  urged  to  the  president  the  propriety  of 
the  measure,  having  already,  from  information 
which  he  had  received,  anticipated  the  attack  on 
New-Orleans.  He  accordingly,  of  his  own  accord, 
addressed  the  governor  of  Pensacola,  and  summon 
ed  him  to  deliver  up  the  chiefs  of  the  hostile  In 
dians,  who  were  harboured  in  their  fortress.  The 
governor  peremptorily  refused.  General  Jackson 
again  addressed  his  government  on  the  necessity 
of  planting  the  American  eagle  on  the  Spanish 
walls.  He  addressed  the  governors  of  Tennessee, 
Louisiana,  and  Missisippi,  to  be  vigilant  and  en 
ergetic,  "  for  dark  and  heavy  clouds  hovered  over 
the  seventh  military  district."  He  sent  his  adju 
tant-general,  colonel  Butler^  to  Tennessee  to  raise 
volunteers,  and  himself  repaired  to  Mobile,  to  put- 
that  region  in  a  plan  of  defence.  This  position 
had  until  this  time  been  wholly  neglected.  Gene 
ral  Jackson,  at  once  perceiving  its  great  importance, 
lost  no  time  in  strengthening  it.  About  a  fortnight 
after  his  arrival,  a  squadron  of  British  ships  made 
an  attack  upon  fort  Boroyer,  18  miles  below  the 
head  of  Mobile  bay,  but  was  repulsed  by  the  loss  of 
one  of  their  best  ships  and  230  men  killed  and 
wounded.  General  Jackson  became  more  and 
more  persuaded,  that  unless  Pensacola  should  be 
reduced,  it  would  be  in  vain  to  think  of  defending 
his  district.  He  accordingly  took  up  the  line  of 
march  with  the  American  army,  and  reached  Pen 
sacola  on  the  6th  of  November.  He  found  on  his 
arrival,  the  forts  garrisoned  by  the  British  and 


174 

Spaniards,  and  prepared  for  resistance.  He  forth 
with  required  a  surrender  of  the  several  forts  to  be 
garrisoned  and  held  by  the  United  States,  until 
Spain  should  furnish  a  force  sufficient  to  protect 
the  neutrality  from  the  British.  The  governor 
peremptorily  refused  to  accede  to  these  terms. 
General  Jackson  immediately  pushed  forward  to 
the  attack,  and  after  some  carnage,  he  forced  the 
governor  and  his  advisers  to  a  submission. 

Two  days  after  entering  the  town,  general  Jack 
son  abandoned  it,  and  returned  to  fort  Montgome 
ry,  being  satisfied  with  having  driven  away  the  Bri 
tish,  forced  the  hostile  Creeks  to  fly  to  the  forests, 
and  produced  a  salutary  impression  on  the  minds 
of  the  Spaniards. 

He  now  proceeded  to  New-Orleans,  where  he 
apprehended  the  most  danger,  and  on  the  first 
December  established  his  head-quarters  in  that 
place. 

Here  he  sounded  the  alarm  of  the  approaching 
danger  to  his  fellow  citizens;  roused  the  legisla 
ture  to  lend  him  their  aid,  and  to  prepare  with  all 
expedition  for  the  coming  foe. 

Too  soon,  alas!  was  this  foresight  realized,  to 
the  consternation  of  the  slumbering  citizens. 

On  the  14th  the  British  attacked  the  American 
flotilla  on  lake  Borgne,  and  captured  it,  but  not 
without  a  severe  contest,  and  heavy  loss  of  men. 

On  the  16th,  he  reviewed  the  militia,  and  ha 
rangued  them  with  usual  eloquence. 

Resistance  on  the  lakes  being  at  an  end,  the 
enemy  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  advance. 

On  the  22nd,  the  British  were  accidentally  dis 
covered  advancing  from  the  swamp  and  woods, 
about  seven  miles  below  the  town  ;  when  general 
Jackson,  immediately  on  hearing  of  their  approach, 
resolved  to  meet  them.  On  the  night  of  the  23d, 
about  dusk,  the  Americans  commenced  the  attack; 
the  battle,  complicated  and  fierce,  continued  for 
some  time,  until  both  parties  were  thrown  into  con- 


175 

fusion,  owing  to  the  darkness  of  the  night;  the  ene 
my  withdrew  from  the  field  of  battle  about  a  mile. 
This  action  for  boldness  of  conception,  and  by  the 
wisdom  of  the  policy  and  the  importance  of  the 
result,  does  infinite  credit  to  the  American  hero. 
As  the  enemy  continued  to  receive  hourly  rein 
forcements,  which  now  amounted  to  upwards  of 
6000  men,  general  Jackson  drew  off  his  troops, 
and  resolved  to  act  defensively  until  he  should  be 
reinforced.  He  placed  his  men  behind  an  en 
trenchment,  with  a  determination  to  resist  to  the 
last  extremity.  On  the  28th,  the  British  force, 
being  further  increased,  and  led  on  by  their  chief, 
lieutenant-general  Sir  Edward  Packenham,  at 
tempted  to  storm  the  American  works,  but  were 
gallantly  repulsed. 

Skirmishes  were  kept  up  between  the  two  ar 
mies,  until  the  memorable  eighth  of  January,  when 
the  enemy  moved  to  the  charge  so  unexpectedly, 
and  with  so  much  celerity,  that  the  American  sol 
diers  at  the  out-posts  had  scarcely  time  to  fly  in. 
The  whole  plain  was  one  continued  glare  of  light 
ning  from  the  shower  of  rockets,  bombs,  and  balls, 
poured  in  from  the  enemy.  Two  British  divisions, 
headed  by  Sir  Edward  Packenham  in  person,  in 
the  mean  time  pressed  forward.  When  they  had 
arrived  within  a  short  distance  of  the  entrench 
ments,  the  Americans  discharged  a  volley  of  death 
into  their  ranks,  and  arrested  their  progress.  Sir 
Edward  fell,  generals  Gibbs  and  Keene  were 
wounded,  and  were  carried  off  from  the  field,  which 
by  this  time  was  strewed  with  the  dead  and  dying. 
The  British  columns,  often  broken  and  driven 
back,  were  repeatedly  formed,  and  urged  forward 
anew.  Convinced  at  last  that  nothing  could  be 
accomplished,  they  abandoned  the  contest,  and  a 
general  and  disorderly  retreat  ensued.  The  num 
ber  of  British  engaged  amounted  to  14,000 ;  their 
loss  on  this  day  amounted  to  nearly  3000,  while 
that  of  the  Americans  was  but  thirteen  killed!  On 


176 

tiie  18th  they  took  their  final  leave,  and  embarked 
in  their  shipping  for  the  West-Indies.  Thus  end 
ed  the  mighty  invasion,  in  twenty-six  days  after 
they  exultingly  placed  their  standard  on  the  banks 
of  the  Missisippi.  Thus  triumphed  general  Jack 
son,  by  a  wonderful  combination  of  boldness  and 
prudence ;  energy  and  adroitness ;  desperate  for 
titude,  and  anxious  patriotism. 

On  his  return  to  the  city  of  New-Orleans,  he  was 
hailed  as  her  Deliverer!  The  most  solemn  and 
lively  demonstrations  of  public  respect  and  grati 
tude  succeeded  each  other  daily,  until  the  period 
of  his  departure  for  Nashville;  nor  was  the  sensa 
tion  throughout  the  Union  less  enthusiastic.  Soon 
after  the  annunciation  of  the  peace,  concluded  at 
Ghent,  he  retired  to  his  farm,  once  more  to  enjoy 
its  rural  pleasures. 

In  January,  1818,  general  Jackson  was  again 
called  into  active  service  to  chastise  a  portion  of 
the  Seminole  Indians,  who  instigated  by  British 
adventurers,  had  already  appeared  on  our  frontiers, 
and  had  committed  the  most  unheard  of  massacres. 
In  this  critical  state  of  affairs,  with  that  zeal  and 
promptness  which  have  ever  marked  his  career, 
after  having  first  collected  a  body  of  Tennessee 
volunteers,  repaired  to  the  post  assigned,  and  as 
sumed  the  command.  He  immediately  crossed  the 
Spanish  line,  penetrated  into  the  Seminole  towns, 
and  reduced  them  to  ashes.  He  then  pursued  his 
march  to  St.  Marks,  and  found  a  large  body  of  In 
dians  and  negroes  collected.  After  ascertaining 
that  they  had  been  supplied  with  arms  by  the  ene 
my,  and  that  the  Spanish  store-houses  were  appro 
priated  to  their  use,  to  store  plundered  goods  from 
the  Americans,  general  Jackson  made  no  hesi 
tation,  after  hearing  a  long  list  of  other  grievances, 
to  demand  a  surrender  of  the  post.  A  hesitation 
was  made ;  when  general  Jackson,  convinced  of  the 
necessity  of  rapid  movements,  took  it  by  force. 


m~ 

177 

marched  his   forces  to  Suwany,  seized   upon 
stores  of  the  enemy,  and  burnt  their  villages. 

Having  thus  far  effected  his  objects,  general  Jack 
son  considered  the  war  at  an  end.  St.  Marks  be 
ing  garrisoned  by  an  American  force ;  the  Indian 
towns  destroyed;  the  two  Indian  chiefs,  and  the 
two  foreign  instigators,  Arbuthriot  and  Armbrister, 
having  been  taken  and  executed,  he  ordered  the 
troops  to  be  discharged. 

General  Jackson  returned  to  Nashville  in  June, 
1818,  to  the  beloved  retirement  of  his  farm.  New 
acknowledgments,  and  new  marks  of  admiration 
were  bestowed  upon  him  in  every  part  of  the 
Union. 

On  the  meeting  of  congress,  general  Jackson  re 
paired  to  Washington,  to  explain  the  transactions 
of  this  last  expedition,  in  person,  and  to  defend 
himself  from  the  imputation  of  an  intention  to  vio 
late  the  laws  of  his  country,  or  the  obligations  of 
humanity.  This  he  did  in  the  most  able  manner. 
Whoever  studies  his  ample  and  argumentative  des 
patches,  and  the  speeches  delivered  in  his  behalf, 
must  be  convinced  that  he  did  neither ;  and  that  in 
making  an  example  of  the  two  instigators  and  con 
federates  of  the  Indians,  and  seizing  upon  for 
tresses,  which  were  only  used  for  hostile  purposes, 
he  avenged  and  served  the  cause  of  humanity,  and 
the  highest  national  interests.  From  Washington, 
he  came  to  Philadelphia,  and  proceeded  to  New- 
York.  Wherever  he  appeared,  he  received  the  smiles 
and  unceasing  plaudits  of  a  grateful  people.  At 
New- York,  on  the  19th  February,  he  received  the 
freedom  of  the  city  in  a  gold  box ;  and  there  as  well 
as  in  Baltimore,  the  municipal  councils  obtained 
his  portrait,  to  be  placed  in  their  halls. 

After  the  cession  of  the  Floridas,  the  president 
appointed  him  first  as  a  commissioner  for  receiv 
ing  the  provinces,  and  then  to  assume  the  govern 
ment  of  them. 

On  the  1st  Julv,  1821,  he  issued  at  Pensacola, 


his  proclamation  announcing  the  possession  of  the 
territory,  and  the  authority  of  the  United  States. 
He  also  at  once  adopted  rigorous  measures  for  the 
introduction  of  a  regular  and  efficacious  adminis 
tration  of  affairs. 

The  injury  which  his  health  had  suffered  from 
the  personal  hardships,  inevitable  in  his  campaigns, 
forbade  him  to  protract  his  residence  in  Florida. 
Accordingly  on  the  7th  October,  1821,  he  delegat 
ed  his  powers  to  two  gentlemen,  the  secretaries  of 
his  government,  and  set  out  on  his  return  to  Nash 
ville. 

In  this  year,  the  corporation  of  New-Orleans 
voted  $50,000  for  erecting  a  marble  statue  appro 
priate  to  his  military  services. 

On  the  4th  July,  1822,  the  governor  of  Tennes 
see,  by  order  of  the  legislature,  presented  him  with 
a  sword, as  a  testimonial  of  the  "[high  respect"  en 
tertained  by  the  state  for  his  public  services. 

On  the  20th  August,  the  general  assembly  of 
Tennessee  recommended  him  to  the  Union  for  the 
office  of  president  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  autumn  of  1823,  he  was  elected  to  the 
senate  of  the  United  States,  in  which  body  he  has 
taken  his  seat. 

Before  his  election  to  the  senate,  he  wras  ap 
pointed  by  the  president  with  the  concurrence  of 
the  senate,  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Mexico,  but 
he  declined  the  honour. 

In  person,  general  Jackson  is  tall,  and  remark 
ably  erect  and  thin.  His  features  are  large;  his 
eyes  dark  blue,  with  a  keen  and  strong  glance  ; 
his  complexion  is  that  of  a  war-worn-soldier.  His 
demeanour  is  gentle  and  easy ;  affable  and  ac 
cessible  to  all;  of  great  mildness  and  kindness  of 
disposition. 


JAY,  JOHN,  LL.  I),  chief  justice  oftheUnited  Staler, 
and  a  distinguished  statesman,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  New-York,  December  1,  1745.  At  the  age 

of  fourteen,  he  entered  .     After  taking  his 

bachelor's  degree,  he  studied  law,  and  in  a  few 
years  rose  to  distinguished  eminence  in  his  pro 
fession.  ^ 

The  commencement  of  our  struggles  with  Great 
Britain  found  him  at  an  age,  and  with  feelings  and 
talents,  to  render  him  an  ardent  and  able  supporter 
of  his  country's  rights,  and  a  fit  and  worthy  succes 
sor  to  his  father,  whose  age  and  infirmities  forbade 
him  to  take  that  part  in  the  events  of  the  time  to 
which  he  was  prompted  by  inclination.  He  there 
fore  commenced  his  political  career  at  a  point  which 
was  justly  considered  the  honourable  goal  of  many 
an  older  patriot's  ambition. 

In  1774,  he  was  elected  by  the  citizens  of  New- 
York,  a  delegate  to  the  first  general  congress  which 
met  at  Philadelphia;  that  congress,  of  which  to 
have  been  member,  is  a  sufficient  title  to  the  grati 
tude  of  Americans. 

In  1776,  he  was  elected  president  of  that  august 
and  enlightened  body. 

In  1777,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  of 
the  state  of  New-York,  which  met  to  deliberate 
and  frame  a  new  constitution ;  and  drew  the  first 
draft  of  that  instrument. 

In  1778,  he  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  that 
state.  In  the  following  year,  he  was  appointed 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of  Spain,  and 
sailed  for  Cadiz  in  the  beginning  of  December. 

The  object  of  this  mission  was  to  obtain  from 
Spain  an  acknowledgment  of  our  independence, 
to  form  a  treaty  of  alliance,  and  to  procure  pecu 
niary  aid :  but  on  the  two  first  points  he  failed. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1782,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  negotiate  a  peace  with 
England,  and  was  authorized  to  continue  the  nego 
tiation  with  Spain. 


180 

In  September,  1783,  he  signed  a  definitive  treaty 
of  peace  with  the  former,  and  soon  after  resigned 
his  commission,  and  returned  home. 

On  his  arrival  in  the  United  States,  he  was  placed 
at  the  head  of  the  department  for  foreign  affairs,  in 
which  office  he  continued  till  the  adoption  of  the 
federal  constitution,  when  he  was  appointed  chief 
justice  of  the  United  States. 

In  1794,  he  was  appointed  envoy  extraordinary 
to  Great  Britain,  and  signed  the  treaty  which  has 
since  borne  his  name. 

In  1795,  he  was  elected  governor  of  the  state  of 
New-York,  and  in  1801,  declined  a  re-election, 
and  withdrew  altogether  from  public  life. 

In  person,  Mr.  Jay  is  tall  and  of  slender  make ; 
with  a  countenance  indicative  of  the  highest  de 
gree  of  intelligence.  To  his  pen,  while  in  con 
gress,  was  America  indebted  for  some  of  those 
masterly  addresses  which  reflect  such  high  honour 
upon  the  government;  to  his  firmness  and  pene 
tration,  were  in  no  considerable  degree  to  be 
ascribed  those  intricate  negotiations  which  were 
conducted,  towards  the  close  of  the  war,  both  at 
Madrid  and  Paris. 

With  a  mind  improved  by  extensive  reading  and 
great  knowledge  of  public  affairs ;  unyielding  firm 
ness  and  inflexible  integrity;  his  character,  perhaps, 
approaches  nearer  than  any  other  of  modern  times* 
to  the  Aristides  of  Plutarch. 


1 8 


KING,  RUFUS,  a  distinguished  statesman,  and  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  federal  constitution,  was  born 
in  the  year  1755,  in  the  town  of  Scarborough,  dis 
trict  of  Maine. 

In  the  year  1773,  he  was  admitted  a  student  of 
Harvard  college,  and  graduated  in  1777.  In  this 
seminary  he  acquired  great  reputation  for  his  clas 
sical  attainments,  and  more  especially  for  his  ex 
traordinary  powers  of  oratory.  From  Cambridge 
he  went  to  Newburyport,  and  entered  as  a  student 
of  law  in  the  office  of  the  late  chief  justice  Par 
sons,  with  whom  he  completed  his  studies,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1780. 

In  1783,  he  was  elected  a  member  to  the  state 
legislature  of  Massachusetts. 

In  the  years  1784,  '5,  and  '6,  he  was  a  member 
of  the  old  congress,  and  on  several  occasions,  he 
delivered  some  of  the  most  masterly  speeches  ever 
heard. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed  by  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  a  delegate  to  the  general  conven 
tion,  held  at  Philadelphia,  and  bore  a  large  share 
in  the  discussion  and  formation  of  our  present  sys 
tem  of  government.  He  attended  during  the  whole 
session  of  the  convention,  and  was  one  of  the  com 
mittee  appointed  by  that  body  to  prepare  and  re 
port  the  final  draft  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  He  was  afterwards  a  conspicuous  and  lead 
ing  member  of  the  Massachusetts  convention,  which 
met  to  ratify  and  adopt  it. 

In  the  year  1786,  he  married  Miss  Alsop,  of  the 
city  of  New- York,  to  which  place  he  removed  in 
1788. 

In  the  summer  of  1789,  he  and  general  Schuyler 
were  elected  the  first  senators  from  the  state  of 


im 

New-York,   under  the   constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

In  1794,  soon  after  the  promulgation  of  the  Bri 
tish  treaty,  a  series  of  papers  was  published  in  its 
defence,  under  the  signature  of  Carnillus.  The 
ten  first  numbers  were  written  by  general  Hamil 
ton,  and  the  remainder  by  Mr.  King.  In  these 
masterly  papers  there  is  discovered  a  depth  of 
research,  and  an  acquaintance  with  the  various 
treaties  and  laws  of  different  nations,  on  the  sub 
jects  of  navigation,  trade,  and  maritime  law,  which 
render  them  of  inestimable  value. 

In  the  spring  of  1796,  he  was  appointed  by  pre 
sident  Washington,  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the 
court  of  Great-Britain.  After  an  absence  of  seven 
years  he  resigned  his  mission,  and  returned  home 
in  1803.  During  his  residence  abroad,  few  foreign 
ers  lived  on  more  intimate  terms  with  the  public 
men  of  the  day,  as  well  those  in  administration 
as  the  opposition.  He  frequented  the  society  of 
literary  men,  and  has  since  maintained  a  corre 
spondence  with  some  of  the  most  distinguished 
civilians  of  the  old  world. 

In  1813,  he  was  again  chosen  by  the  legislature 
of  New-York,  a  senator  of  the  United  States. 

In  person,  Mr.  King  is  above  the  middle  size, 
and  somewhat  athletic.  His  countenance  is  man 
ly,  and  bespeaks  intelligence  of  the  first  order. 
His  conversation  and  writings  are  remarkable  for 
conciseness,  force,  and  simplicity. 

As  a  statesman  he  is  intimately  conversant  with 
the  laws  and  constitution  of  his  country,  and  fami 
liarly  acquainted  with  its  various  interests,  foreign 
and  domestic ;  as  a  civilian,  well  read  in  the  laws 
of  nations  ;  as  an  erudite  classical  scholar,  both  in 
ancient  and  modern  literature,  and  as  an  elegant 
writer,  and  a  consummate  orator,  he  may  be  said 
to  rank  with  the  first  of  his  cotemporaries. 


KNOX,  HENRY,  LL.  D.  a  major-general  in  the 
army  of  the  United  States,  was  born  at  Boston, 
July  25,  1750.  Among  those  of  our  country,  who 
most  zealously  engaged  in  the  cause  of  liberty,  few 
sustained  a  rank  more  deservedly  conspicuous,  than 
general  Knox.  He  was  one  of  those  heroes,  of 
whom  it  may  be  truly  said,  that  he  lived  for  his 
country.  The  ardour  of  his  youth,  and  the  vigour 
of  his  manhood,  were  devoted  to  acquiring  its  liber 
ty  and  establishing  its  prosperity. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  was  selected  by  the 
young  men  of  Boston  to  the  command  of  an  inde 
pendent  company :  in  this  station,  he  exhibited 
those  talents,  which  afterwards  shone  with  lustre, 
in  the  most  brilliant  campaigns  of  an  eight  years 
war. 

In  the  early  stages  of  British  hostility,  though 
not  in  commission,  he  was  not  an  inactive  specta 
tor.  At  the  battle  of  Bunker-hill  he  acted  as  a 
volunteer  in  reconnoitring  the  movements  of  the 
enemy. 

Scarcely  had  we  begun  to  feel  the  aggressions 
of  the  British  arms,  before  it  was  perceived  that 
we  were  destitute  of  artillery  ;  and  no  resource  pre 
sented  itself,  but  the  desperate  expedient  of  pro 
curing  it  from  the  Canadian  frontier.  At  this  cri 
sis  he  generously  offered  his  services  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  to  supply  the  army  with  ordnance 
from  Canada,  notwithstanding  the  obstacles  and 
perils  of  the  undertaking.  Accordingly,  in  the 
winter  of  1775,  he  commenced  his  operations,  and 
in  a  few  weeks,  he  had  surmounted  every  difficulty 
and  danger,  and  returned  laden  with  ordnance 
and  stores. 

In  consequence  of  this  important  service,  he  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  artillery  of  which 
he  had  thus  laid  the  foundation,  in  which  command 
he  continued  with  increasing  reputation  through  the 
revolutionary  war. 


184 

In  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton  he  glo 
riously  signalized  himself  by  his  bravery  and  va 
lour. 

In  the  bloody  fields  of  Gerrnantown  and  Mon- 
mouth,  he  was  no  less  distinguished  for  the  dis 
charge  of  the  arduous  duties  of  his  command.  In 
the  front  of  the  battle  he  was  seen  animating  his 
soldiers,  and  pointing  the  thunder  of  their  cannon. 
His  skill  and  bravery  were  so  conspicuous  on  the 
latter  occasion,  that  he  received  the  particular  ap 
probation  of  the  commander-in-chief. 

In  every  field  of  battle,  where  Washington  fought, 
Knox  was  by  his  side.  Honourable  to  himself  as 
had  been  the  career  of  his  revolutionary  services, 
new  laurels  were  reserved  for  him  at  the  siege  of 
Yorktown.  To  the  successful  result  of  this  me 
morable  siege,  no  officer  contributed  more  essen 
tially  than  the  commander  of  the  artillery.  His 
animated  exertions,  his  military  skill,  his  cool  and 
determined  bravery  in  this  triumphant  struggle,  re 
ceived  the  unanimous  approbation  of  congress,  and 
he  was  immediately  created  major-general,  with 
the  concurrence  of  the  commander-in-chief,  and  of 
the  whole  army.  Having  contributed  so  essential 
ly  to  the  successful  termination  of  the  war,  he  was 
next  selected  as  one  of  the  commissioners  to  ad 
just  the  terms  of  peace.  He  was  deputed  to  receive 
the  surrender  of  the  city  of  New-York,  and  soon 
after  appointed  to  the  command  of  West  Point. 

It  was  here  that  he  was  employed  in  the  delicate 
and  arduous  duty  of  disbanding  the  army,  and  in 
ducing  a  soldiery,  disposed  to  turbulence  by  their 
privations  and  sufferings,  to  retire  to  domestic  life, 
and  resume  the  peaceful  character  of  citizens. 

The  great  objects  of  the  war  being  accomplish 
ed,  and  peace  restored  to  our  country,  general  Knox 
was,  early  under  the  confederation,  appointed  se 
cretary  of  war  by  congress,  in  which  office  he  was 
confirmed  by  president  Washington,  after  the  esta 
blishment  of  the  federal  government. 


185 

Having  filled  this  office  for  eleven  years,  he  ob 
tained  the  reluctant  consent  of  president  Washing 
ton  to  retire. 

Retired  from  the  theatre  of  active  life,  he  still  felt 
a  deep  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  his  country. 
He  was  called  repeatedly  to  take  a  share  in  the 
government  of  the  state,  to  which  he  had  removed, 
and  in  the  discharge  of  whose  several  duties,  he 
exhibited  great  wisdom  and  experience  as  a  legis 
lator.  In  the  full  vigour  of  health,  he  suddenly 
died  at  Montpelier,  his  seat  in  Thoinaston,  Maine, 
on  the  25th  October,  1806. 

The  great  qualities  of  general  Knox  were  not 
merely  those  of  the  hero  and  the  statesman ;  with 
these  were  combined  those  of  the  elegant  scholar, 
and  the  accomplished  gentleman.  There  have  been 
those  as  brave  and  as  learned,  but  rarely  a  union 
of  such  valour,  with  so  much  urbanity;  a  mind  so 
great,  yet  so  free  from  ostentation. 

In  his  private  virtues,  he  was  no  less  the  orna 
ment  of  every  circle  in  which  he  moved,  as  the  ami 
able  and  enlightened  companion,  the  generous 
friend,  the  man  of  feeling  and  benevolence.  In 
consideration  of  his  literary  attainments,  the  presi 
dent  and  trustees  of  Dartmouth  college  conferred 
on  him  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws. 


KOLLOCK,  HENRY,  DD.  an  eminent  divine,  was 
born  at  New-Providence,  New-Jersey,  December 
14, 1778.  The  years  of  his  infancy  and  childhood 
were  distinguished  by  intimations  of  a  superior 
mind ;  by  a  natural  curiosity  and  thirst  for  know 
ledge,  which  his  friends  hailed  as  the  presages  of 
his  future  eminence.  So  completely  was  his  mind 
absorbed  by  the  pursuit  of  knowledge,  so  close  and 
unwearied  was  his  application  to  books,  that  at  a 

24 


186 

very  early  period,  he  impaired  his  health,  and  en 
dangered  his  life. 

After  going  through  the  usual  course  of  study  at 
the  grammar  school,  he  entered  Princeton  college 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  and  pursued  his  collegiate 
studies  with  uncommon  ardour  ;  and  before  he  had 
attained  his  sixteenth  year,  received  the  degree  of 
bachelor  of  arts. 

About  this  period  he  became  the  subject  of  di 
vine  grace,  and  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  pres- 
byterian  church  in  Elizabeth-Town,  to  which  place 
his  parents  had  removed.  Soon  after,  being  strong 
ly  impressed  that  God  had  designed  him  for  the 
Christian  ministry,  he  commenced  the  study  of  di 
vinity,  and  became  a  candidate  for  the  gospel  minis 
try  in  the  year  1797. 

He  was  elected  a  tutor  of  Princeton  college.  In 
this  situation  he  prosecuted  his  theological  studies 
under  president  Smith  with  unremitting  ardour. 
Here  too  he  extended  his  acquaintance  with  the 
great  writers  of  antiquity ;  the  poets,  the  orators, 
and  the  historians  of  Greece  and  Rome ;  and  read 
with  avidity  and  attention  the  British  classics,  for 
which,  from  a  child  he  had  a  peculiar  relish.  By 
being  familiar  with  these  excellent  models  of  writ 
ing,  he  acquired  that  ease  and  elegance  of  style, 
and  that  correctness  and  delicacy  of  taste,  which 
are  perceptible  in  all  his  productions.  He  also 
made  himself  master  of  the  French  language. 

But  while  he  was  thus  enriching  his  mind  with 
useful  knowledge,  he  was  not  neglectful  of  per 
sonal  piety. 

In  1800,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  pres 
bytery  of  New- York,  and  soon  after  appeared  in 
public,  and  preached  with  great  acceptation. 

In  a  few  months  he  gained  the  highest  reputation 
as  a  pulpit  orator.  His  extraordinary  powers,  as  a 
preacher,  soon  attracted  the  attention  of  important 
churches ;  and  many  who  were  destitute  of  a  pas- 
Jor  desired  to  enjoy  his  valuable  ministry. 


187 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  1800,  lie  was  instal 
led  pastor  of  the  church  at  Elizabeth-Town.  While 
pastor  of  this  church,  his  labours  were  eminently 
blessed.  In  the  pulpit  and  in  his  closet,  in  his  pas 
toral  visits,  and  in  the  association's  for  prayer,  he 
seemed  to  lose  sight  of  every  consideration  but 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  spiritual  benefit  of  his 
people. 

In  December,  1803,  he  received  the  appointment 
of  professor  of  divinity  in  the  college  of  New-Jer 
sey,  to  which  place  he  afterwards  removed,  and 
also  undertook  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  church 
at  Princeton. 

As  a  professor  of  theology  he  was  highly  esteem 
ed,  and  extensively  useful. 

In  1806,  he  received  the  degree  of  doctor  of  di 
vinity,  from  Harvard  university,  and  a  few  months 
afterwards  the  same  honour  from  Union  college. 
His  character  as  a  theologian  and  a  man  of  science, 
was  now  very  conspicuous  and  extensively  known. 

In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  he  accepted  of 
the  call  from  the  independent  presbyterian  congre 
gation  of  Savannah,  and  shortly  after  removed  with 
his  family  to  that  place.  Here,  while  he  indefati- 
gably  and  successfully  laboured  for  the  promotion 
of  religion,  he  did  much  for  the  advancement  of 
literature  and  science.  To  him  Savannah  is  in 
debted  for  her  valuable  and  extensive  library.  He 
every  where  inspired  a  taste  for  reading;  and  in 
proportion  as  religion  flourished,  science  was  ad 
vanced,  and  literature  cultivated. 

In  1810,  he  was  invited  to  accept  the  presidency 
of  the  university  of  Georgia,  which  had  become 
vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Meigs,  but  this 
call  he  declined. 

In  the  year  1817,  he  made  a  voyage  to  Europe, 
chiefly  for  the  purposing  of  restoring  his  health,  as 
well  as  to  collect  materials  for  a  life  of  Calvin, 
which  he  had  commenced  many  years  before.  He 
visited  the  chief  cities  of  England,  Scotland,  Ire- 


188 

land,  and  France ;  and  was  received  with  that  at 
tention  and  respect  which  are  due  to  a  man  of  sci 
ence,  and  a  distinguished  minister  of  Christ. 

After  an  absence  of  eight  months,  he  returned  to 
the  United  States,  with  his  health  much  invigorat 
ed — but  it  is  to  be  regretted  he  failed  in  procuring 
the  materials  which  he  needed  to  complete  the 
life  of  Calvin.  It  therefore  remains  in  an  unfinish 
ed  state,  and  unfit  for  publication.  This  is  a  cir 
cumstance  much  to  be  regretted,  as  it  deprives  the 
public  of  a  work  which  would  have  done  honour 
to  our  country.  He  had  bestowed  much  pains  upon 
it,  and  if  it  had  been  published  according  to  the 
author's  plan,  it  would  have  been  decidedly  supe 
rior  to  any  of  his  works. 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1819,  Savan 
nah  was  visited  with  unusual  sickness  and  mortali 
ty.  In  proportion  to  the  extent  of  the  disease,  and 
the  number  of  deaths,  were  the  severity  and  con 
stancy  of  Dr.  Kollock's  labours.  Such  were  his 
unremitted  duties,  during  this  calamitous  period, 
that  he  gradually  relapsed  into  that  state  of  organic 
debility,  from  which  he  had  been  restored  by  his 
voyage  to  Europe,  and  without  a  struggle  closed 
his  useful  and  valuable  life,  December  29,  1819, 
aged  forty-one  years. 

As  a  preacher,  few  in  our  country  ever  excelled 
him.  Possessing  all  the  requisites  to  form  a  pul 
pit  orator,  he  carried  the  art  of  preaching  to  the 
highest  perfection,  and  displayed  all  the  character 
istics  of  genuine  eloquence.  Deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  the  important  truths  which  he  de 
livered,  he  added  to  fervent  piety  the  most  brilliant 
and  inventive  imagination,  the  most  correct  and  de 
licate  taste,  the  clearest  conception,  and  the  most 
solid  judgment. 

As  a  scholar,  he  was  highly  distinguished.  From 
his  youth  he  had  always  been  a  labourious  student, 
and  through  life  his  thirst  for  knowledge  continued 
and  increased.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  the 


1.89 

Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin,  French,  and  German  lan 
guages.     In  the  latter  he  particularly  took  delight 
in  perusing  works  of  taste,  criticism,  and  theology. 
His  works  are  published  in  four  volumes  octavo. 


190 


LAURENS,  HENRY,  president  of  congress,  and  a 
distinguished  patriot,  was  born  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1724.  The  superintendence 
of  his  education  was  first  given  to  Mr.  Howe,  and 
afterwards  to  Mr.  Corbett ;  but  of  the  nature  of  his 
studies,  or  the  extent  of  his  acquirements,  we  are 
not  told.  He  was  regularly  bred  to  mercantile 
pursuits,  and  was  remarkable  through  life  for  his 
peculiar  observance  of  business.  In  whatever  he 
was  engaged,  he  was  distinguished  for  his  extra 
ordinary  punctuality.  He  rose  early,  and  devoting 
the  morning  to  the  counting-house,  he  not  unfre- 
quently  finished  his  concerns  before  others  had  left 
their  beds.  Industrious  almost  to  an  extreme  him 
self,  he  demanded  a  corresponding  attention  and 
labour  on  the  part  of  those  in  his  employ. 

In  the  year  1771,  on  the  death  of  his  amiable 
wife,  he  relinquished  business,  and  visited  Europe, 
principally  for  the  purpose  of  superintending  the 
education  of  his  sons. 

He  took  an  early  part  in  opposing  the  arbitrary 
claims  of  Great  Britain,  and  was  one  of  the  thirty- 
nine  native  Americans,  who  endeavoured  by  their 
petition  to  prevent  the  British  parliament  from 
passing  the  Boston  port  bill. 

Every  exertion  on  the  part  of  the  colonies  prov 
ing  fruitless,  he  hastened  home,  with  a  determina 
tion  to  take  part  with  his  countrymen  against  Great 
Britain.  The  circumstance  of  his  leaving  England 
at  this  important  crisis,  expressly  to  defend  the 
cause  of  independence,  served  to  confirm  in  the 
highest  degree  that  unbounded  confidence  in  his 
fidelity  and  patriotism,  for  which  his  friends,  through 
the  whole  course  of  his  career,  had  such  an  ample 
cause  to  entertain. 


191 

On  his  arrival  in  this  country,  no  attentions  were 
withheld  which  it  was  possible  to  bestow. 

When  the  provincial  congress  of  Carolina  met 
in  June,  1775,  he  was  appointed  its  president,  in 
which  capacity,  he  drew  up  a  form  of  association, 
to  be  signed  by  all  the  friends  of  liberty,  which  in 
dicated  a  most  determined  spirit. 

On  the  establishment  of  a  regular  constitution 
in  South  Carolina,  in  1776,  he  was  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  congress.  On  the  resignation  of  president 
Hancock,  he  was  appointed  the  president  of  that 
august  body. 

In  1780,  he  was  appointed  a  minister  plenipoten 
tiary  to  Holland  to  solicit  a  loan,  and  to  negotiate 
a  treaty.  On  his  passage  to  that  country,  he  was 
captured  by  a  British  vessel,  and  sent  to  England. 
He  was  there  imprisoned  in  the  tower  of  London, 
on  the  6th  October,  as  a  state  prisoner,  upon  a 
charge  of  high  treason.  He  was  confined  more 
than  a  year,  and  treated  with  great  severity ;  being 
denied  for  the  most  part  all  intercourse  with  his 
friends,  and  forbidden  the  use  of  pen  and  ink. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1781,  his  suffer 
ings,  which  had  by  that  time  become  well  known, 
excited  the  utmost  sympathy  for  himself,  but  kin 
dled  the  warmest  indignation  against  the  authors 
of  his  cruel  confinement.  Every  exertion  to  draw 
concessions  from  this  inflexible  patriot  having  prov 
ed  more  than  useless,  the  ministry  resolved  upon 
his  releasement.  As  soon  as  his  discharge  was 
known,  he  received  from  congress  a  commission, 
appointing  him  one  of  their  ministers  for  negotiat 
ing  a  peace  with  Great-Britain. 

In  conjunction  with  Dr.  Franklin,  John  Jay,  and 
John  Adams,  he  signed  the  preliminaries  of  peace  on 
the  30th  November,  1782,  and  a  short  time  after  he 
returned  to  South  Carolina.  Although  he  could  have 
commanded  any  office  in  the  gift  of  his  state,  he 
declined  every  honour  which  was  urged  upon  him 
by  his  countrymen,  preferring  to  spend  the  re- 


maiiider  of  his  days  in  rural  retirement  and  domes 
tic  enjoyment. 

He  expired  on  the  8th  December,  1792.  He  di 
rected  his  son  to  burn  his  body  on  the  third  day, 
as  the  sole  condition  of  inheriting  an  estate  of 
£60,000  sterling. 


LINN,  JOHN  BLAIR,  DD.  a  poet,  and  an  eminent 
divine,  was  born  in  Shippensburg,  Pennsylvania, 
March  14,  1777.  He  early  evinced  a  strong  at 
tachment  to  books.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
entered  Columbia  college,  and  graduated  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  During  the  four  years  which 
he  passed  at  college,  the  fine  writers  of  the  age, 
particularly  the  poets,  became  his  darling  study. 

On  leaving  college,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
the  law  under  the  direction  of  general  Alexander 
Hamilton,  but  he  did  not  apply  himself  with  much 
assiduity  to  his  new  pursuit. 

The  splendid  visions  of  Shakspeare  and  Tasso 
were  more  attractive.  He  regarded  the  legal  sci 
ence  every  day  with  new  indifference,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  first  year  relinquished  the  profession 
altogether.  After  much  deliberation,  he  determin 
ed  to  devote  his  future  life  to  the  service  of  the 
church. 

He  now  retired  to  Schenectady,  and  put  himself 
under  the  care  of  Dr.  Rorneyn,  a  professor  of  theo 
logy. 

In  the  year  1798,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by 
the  classis  of  Albany.  Amidst  some  exuberances 
of  style  and  sentiment,  the  excellence  of  his  per 
formances  excited  lively  expectations  of  his  future 
distinction. 

In  the  year  1799,  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  first 
Presbyterian  church  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  or 
dained  as  colleague  with  the  Rev.  John  Ewinir. 


^ 


193 


His  health,  which  had  always  been  delicate,  from 
this  period  began  to  decline ;  and  his  death,  not  a 
little  accelerated  by  excessive  application  to  study, 
and  the  duties  of  his  office,  happened  on  the  30th 
August,  1804. 

As  a  preacher,  few  persons  ever  attained  so 
great  a  popularity  as  he  acquired  before  his  twen 
ty-third  year.  As  a  poet,  he  possesses  consider 
able  merit. 

He  published  in  1801,  "The  Powers  of  Genius." 
In  1802,  "A  Controversy  with  Dr.  Priestley,"  Mis 
cellanies  in  prose  and  verse,"  and  "Valerian." 


LEWIS,  MERIWETHER,  governor  of  Louisiana, 
was  born  in  Albemarle  county,  Virginia,  August  18, 
1774,  and  from  infancy  was  always  distinguished 
for  boldness  and  enterprise. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-three  he  received  the  ap 
pointment  of  captain  in  the  regular  army,  and  in 
the  year  1792,  he  was  selected  by  president  Jeffer 
son,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Michaux,  to  explore 
the  country  of  the  Missouri ;  unfortunately,  how 
ever,  the  expedition  was  abandoned  by  the  recall 
of  Mr.  Michaux. 

In  1803,  congress,  at  the  recommendation  of 
president  Jefferson,  voted  a  sum  of  money  for  ex 
ploring  the  Missouri  to  its  source,  to  cross  the  high 
lands,  and  follow  the  best  water  communication 
which  offered  itself  from  thence  to  the  Pacific 
ocean. 

Captain  Lewis,  who  was  at  this  time  intimately 
known  to  president  Jefferson,  for  courage  and  per 
severance  in  whatever  he  undertook,  for  an  honest, 
liberal,  and  sound  understanding,  and  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  Indian  character,  their  customs, 
and  principles,  and  for  a  fidelity  to  truth  so  scru 
pulous,  that  whatever  he  should  report  would  be  as 


25 


194 

certain  as  if  seen  by  himself,  lie  did  not  hesitate 
to  confide  the  enterprise  to  him  as  one  every  way 
qualified  to  conduct  it.  At  his  request,  he  was 
accompanied  by  captain  Clark,  in  case  of  accident 
to  himself,  that  he  might  direct  the  further  prose 
cution  of  the  enterprise. 

A  draught  of  instructions  having  been  prepared, 
he  left  the  city  of  Washington,  July  5,  1803,  and 
proceeded  on  the  expedition,  and  did  not  return  to 
Washington  before  the  3rd  of  February,  1807. 
Congress,  in  consideration  of  his  services,  granted 
to  him  and  his  followers  a  donation  of  a  large 
tract  of  land. 

He  was,  soon  after,  appointed  governor  of  Loui 
siana.  He  died  September  20,  1809. 

An  account  of  his  expedition  has  been  publish 
ed  in  two  volumes  octavo. 


LED  YARD,  JOHN,  an  enterprising  traveller,  was 
born  at  Groton,  Connecticut,  about  the  year  1750. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  commenced  the  study 
of  divinity  at  Dartmouth  College,  New-Hampshire. 
During  his  residence  at  this  institution,  he  had  an 
opportunity  of  learning  the  character  and  manners 
of  the  Indians,  which  was  of  no  little  advantage  to 
him  in  the  future  periods  of  his  life.  In  the  year 
1771,  he  went  to  New- York  and  embarked  for  Lon 
don.  When  captain  Cook  sailed  on  his  third 
voyage  of  discovery,  Ledyard,  who  felt  an  irresista- 
ble  desire  to  explore  those  regions  of  the  globe 
W'hich  were  yet  undiscovered  or  imperfectly  known, 
accepted  the  humble  station  of  corporal  of  marines, 
rather  than  forego  an  opportunity  so  inviting  to 
his  inquisitive  and  adventurous  spirit.  He  was 
a  favourite  of  the  illustrious  navigator,  and  was 
one  of  the  witnesses  of  his  tragical  end  in  1778. 
In  1781,  he  returned  to  his  native  place,  after  an 


195 

absence  often  years.  In  1782,  he  again  embarked 
at  New-York  for  England.  He  now  resolved  to 
traverse  the  continent  of  America,  from  the  north 
west  coast,  which  Cook  had  partly  explored,  to  the 
eastern  coast,  with  which  he  was  already  perfectly 
familiar.  He  accordingly  crossed  the  British 
Channel  to  Ostend,  witli  only  ten  guineas  in  his 
purse  ;  determined  to  travel  over  land  to  Kamschat- 
ka,  whence  the  passage  is  short  to  the  western' 
coast  of  America.  When  he  came  to  the  gulf  of 
Bothnia,  he  attempted  to  cross  the  ice,  that  he 
might  reach  Kamschatka  by  the  shortest  way;  but 
finding  that  the  water  was  not  frozen  in  the  middle, 
he  returned  to  Stockholm.  He  then  travelled 
northward  into  the  arctic  circle,  and  passing  round 
the  head  of  the  gulf,  descended  on  its  eastern  side 
to  St.  Petersburg.  There  his  extraordinary  ap 
pearance  attracted  general  notice.  Without  stock 
ings  or  shoes,  and  too  poor  to  provide  himself  with 
either,  he  was  invited  to  dine  with  the  Portuguese 
ambassador,  who  supplied  him  with  twenty  guineas, 
on  the  credit  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks.  Through  his 
interest,  he  also  obtained  permission  to  accompany 
a  detachment  of  stores  to  Yakutz,  in  Siberia. 
From  Yakutz,  he  proceeded  to  Ochotsk,  on  the 
Kamschatkan  sea.  But  as  the  navigation  was  com 
pletely  obstructed  by  the  ice,  he  returned  to  Ya 
kutz.  Here  he  was  seized  as  a  prisoner,  and  con 
veyed  through  the  north  of  Tartary  to  the  frontiers 
of  the  Polish  dominions,  where  he  was  released 
on  condition  of  returning  to  England.  Poor,  for 
lorn,  and  friendless,  and  exhausted  by  fatigue,  dis 
ease,  and  misery,  he  proceeded  to  Koningsburg, 
where  the  interest  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks  enabled 
him  to  procure  the  sum  of  five  guineas,  by  means 
of  which  he  arrived  in  England. 

He  immediately  waited  on  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
who  recommended  him  to  an  adventure  as  perilous 
as  that  from  which  he  had  just  returned. 


Ledyarcl  engaged  with  enthusiasm  in  die  enter 
prise,  and  received  from  Sir  Joseph  a  letter  of  in 
troduction  to  one  of  the  members  of  the  associa 
tion,  which  had  been  formed  for  promoting  the 
discovery  of  the  interior  parts  of  Africa,  which  were 
then  little  known.  The  description  which  that 
gentleman  has  given  of  his  first  interview,  strongly 
marks  the  character  of  this  hardy  traveller.  "  Be 
fore  I  had  learned,"  says  he,  "from  the  note  the 
name  and  business  of  my  visiter,  I  was  struck  with 
the  manliness  of  his  person,  the  breadth  of  his 
chest,  the  openness  of  his  countenance,  and  the  in 
quietude  of  his  eye.  I  spread  the  map  of  Africa 
before  him,  and  tracing  a  line  from  Cairo  to  Se- 
naar,  and  from  thence  westward  in  the  latitude 
and  supposed  direction  of  the  Niger,  I  told  him 
that  was  the  route  by  which  I  was  anxious  that 
Africa  might,  if  possible,  be  explored.  He  said 
lie  should  think  himself  singularly  fortunate  to  be 
intrusted  with  the  adventure.  I  asked  him  when 
he  would  set  out'!  To-morrow  morning,  was  his 


answer." 


From  such  zeal,  decision,  and  intrepidity,  the  so 
ciety  naturally  formed  the  most  sanguine  expecta 
tions.  He  sailed  from  London,  June  30,  1788. 
He  passed  through  Paris  and  Marseilles  to  Alex 
andria. 

He  there  assumed  the  dress  of  an  Egyptian  tra 
veller,  and  proceeded  to  Cairo,  which  he  reached 
on  the  19th  August.  Here,  after  repeated  delays 
and  disappointments  in  the  departure  of  the  cara 
van  which  he  was  to  have  accompanied,  he  was 
obstinately  attacked  by  a  fever,  which  baffled  the 
skill  of  the  most  approved  physicians  of  Cairo, 
and  terminated  his  earthly  existence,  January  17, 
1789. 

Besides  his  communications  to  the  African  asso 
ciation,  he  published  an  account  of  Cook's  voyage 
in  1781.  A  number  of  his  manuscripts  remain  in 
the  hands  of  his  brother,  of  the  city  of  New-York. 


197 

LIVINGSTON,  ROBERT  R.  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  New- York,  on  the  2nd  September,  1747. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  graduated  in  the  col 
lege  of  New-York,  and  soon  after  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law,  with  the  late  William  Smith,  Esq. 
On  completing  his  legal  education,  he  was  called 
to  fill  the  office  of  recordership  of  that  city.  It 
was  at  this  period,  the  great  question  of  the  rights 
of  the  colonies  agitated  the  community,  and  he 
was  called  upon  to  assert  their  rights,  and  expose 
their  wrongs,  on  the  floor  of  the  general  congress. 

To  occupy  a  seat  in  this  august  assembly,  and  to 
be  associated  with  Washington,  Franklin,  Jeffer 
son,  Henry,  and  others,  is  the  highest,  as  it  certain 
ly  is,  the  purest  eulogium  that  can  be  pronounced 
upon  his  virtues  and  talents. 

How  he  passed  this  trial,  will  be  best  gathered 
from  the  archives  of  congress,  which  associate 
him  with  Lee  and  Pendleton,  in  framing  the  ad 
dress  to  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain;  with  Jef 
ferson,  Franklin,  and  John  Adams,  in  preparing 
the  declaration  of  independence ;  and  with  Samuel 
Adams,  Dickinson,  and  M'Kean,  in  digesting  and 
presenting  a  form  of  national  government,  subse 
quently  adopted,  under  the  name  of  articles  of  con 
federation  and  perpetual  union. 

From  1781  to  1783,  he  filled  the  responsible 
office  of  foreign  affairs,  when  he  retired.  On  his 
resignation,  he  received  the  thanks  of  congress,  for 
the  zeal  and  fidelity  with  which  he  had  discharged 
this  important  trust. 

Nor  was  he,  exclusively,  employed  in  national 
concerns.  He  devoted  that  part  of  his  time  which 
was  not  employed  in  the  councils  of  his  nation,  to 
the  concerns  of  his  state,  in  framing  a  new  con 
stitution. 

Under  this  new  constitution  he  was  appointed 
chancellor  of  the  state,  which  he  filled  with  distin 
guished  abilities  till  the  year  1 801 . 


198 

In  1801,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Jeffer 
son,  minister  plenipotentiary  to  France.  He  ac 
cordingly  arrived  at  Paris  in  the  autumn,  and  im 
mediately  urged  the  purport  of  his  mission. 

In  the  year  1804,  having  effected  the  object  of 
his  mission,  viz.  the  purchase  of  the  territory  of 
Louisiana,  and  the  liquidation  of  the  debts  due  on 
the  part  of  France  to  the  citizens  of  the  United 
States,  he  obtained  leave  to  return  home,  of  which 
he  received  notice  on  the  arrival  of  general  Arm 
strong,  his  successor.  Previous  to  his  leaving  Eu 
rope,  he  made  a  tour  through  Italy,  Switzerland, 
and  Germany,  and  returned  to  his  seat  on  the  Hud 
son,  in  June,  1805. 

With  this  mission  terminated  the  political  life  of 
Mr.  Livingston,  but  not  that  of  his  public  useful 
ness.  In  matters  of  taste,  in  the  progress  of  the 
useful  arts,  in  the  improvement  of  the  country  by 
canals,  roads,  planting,  building,  and  agriculture, 
his  mind  was  constantly  and  vigorously  employed ; 
and  to  his  suggestions  or  example  much  of  the 
present  honourable  impulse  in  these  branches  may 
be  justly  ascribed.  And  lastly,  the  perfection  of 
the  steam-boat  navigation  in  this  country.  In  the 
vigour  of  health,  and  the  plentitude  of  usefulness, 
this  distinguished  patriot  and  statesman  was  sud 
denly  called  to  pay  the  debt  of  nature  on  the  15th 
February,  1813,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his 
age. 


LIVINGSTON,  WILLIAM,  One  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,  was  born  in  New-York,  about 
the  year  1723,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale  college 
in  1741.  He  afterwards  pursued  the  study  of  the 
law.  Possessing  a  strong  and  comprehensive  mind, 
a  brilliant  imagination,  and  a  retentive  memory, 
and  improving  with  unwearied  diligence  the  lite- 


199 

rary  advantages  which  he  enjoyed,  he  soon  rose  to 
eminence  in  his  profession.  He  early  embraced 
the  cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty.  When 
Great  Britain  advanced  her  arbitrary  claims,  he 
employed  his  pen  in  opposing  them,  and  in  vin 
dicating  the  rights  of  his  countrymen.  After  sus 
taining  some  important  offices  in  New-York,  he 
removed  to  New-Jersey,  and  as  a  representative  of 
this  state  was  one  of  the  principal  members  of  the 
first  congress  in  1774. 

In  1776,  on  the  formation  of  the  new  constitu 
tion  of  the  state,  he  was  elected  the  first  governor; 
and  such  was  his  integrity  and  republican  virtue, 
that  he  was  annually  re-elected  until  his  death. 
During  our  struggles  for  liberty,  he  bent  his  exer 
tions  to  support  the  independence  of  his  country. 
By  the  keenness  and  severity  of  his  political  writ 
ings  he  exasperated  the  British,  who  distinguished 
him  as  an  object  of  their  peculiar  hatred.  His 
pen  had  no  inconsiderable  influence  in  exciting 
that  indignation  and  zeal,  which  rendered  the  mi 
litia  of  New-Jersey  so  remarkable  for  the  alacrity 
with  which  on  any  alarm  they  arrayed  themselves 
against  the  common  enemy. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed  a  delegate  to  the 
grand  convention,  which  formed  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States.  After  having  sustained  the  of 
fice  of  governor  for  fourteen  years,  with  great  ho 
nour  to  himself,  and  usefulness  to  the  state,  he 
died  at  his  seat  near  Elizabeth-Town,  July  25, 
1790. 

Governor  Livingston  was  remarkably  plain  and 
simpte  in  his  dress  and  manners.  He  was  con 
vivial,  easy,  mild,  witty,  and  fond  of  anecdote. 
Fixed  and  unshaken  in  Christian  principles,  his  life 
presented  an  example  of  incorruptible  integrity, 
strict  honour,  and  warm  benevolence. 

His  writings  evince  a  vigorous  mind  and  a  re 
fined  taste.  Intimately  acquainted  with  ancient 
and  modern  literature,  lie  acquired  an  elegance  of 


style,  which  placed  him  among  the  first  oi'  modern 
writers. 

He  published  a  poem,  called  Philosophical  Soli 
tude;  an  Eulogium  on  President  Burr,  1758;  Mis 
cellaneous  pieces  in  prose  and  verse ;  a  Review  of 
the  Military  Operations  in  North  America,  from 
1753  to  1756. 


LIVINGSTON,  PHILIP,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  a  member  of  the 
family,  which  has  long  been  distinguished  in  the 
state  of  New-York,  and  was  born  at  Albany,  Janua 
ry  15,  1716.  He  was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in 
1737. 

With  the  superior  advantages  of  an  excellent 
education,  he  embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits,  and 
was  soon  engaged  in  extensive  operations;  and  his 
inflexible  integrity,  and  enlarged  and  comprehen 
sive  views,  laid  the  foundation  and  erected  the 
structure  of  extraordinary  prosperity. 

His  first  appearance  in  public  life  was  in  Sep 
tember,  1754,  when  he  was  elected  an  alderman  of 
the  city  of  New-York.  From  this  period  he  con 
tinued  to  fill  various  and  important  trusts  under  the 
colonial  government,  till  he  took  a  decided  and 
energetic  stand  against  the  usurpations  of  Great 
Britain. 

Mr.  Livingston  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  first 
congress  which  met  at  Philadelphia  on  the  5th 
September,  1774.  In  this  assembly  he  took  a  dis 
tinguished  part,  and  was  appointed  on  the  commit 
tee  to  prepare  an  address  to  the  people  of  Great 
Britain. 

He  was  re-elected  a  delegate  in  1775,  with  full 
power  to  concert  with  the  other  delegates  from  the 
other  colonies,  upon  such  measures  as  should  be 


2UJ 

judged  most  effectual  for  the  preservation  and  re- 
establishment  of  American  rights  and  privileges. 

On  the  4th  July,  1776,  he  affixed  his  signature 
to  the  declaration  of  independence. 

On  the  15th  July,  1776,  he  was  chosen  by  con 
gress  a  member  of  the  board  of  treasury,  and  on 
the  29th  April  following,  a  member  of  the  marine 
committee ;  two  important  trusts,  in  which  the 
safety  and  well-being  of  America  were  essentially 
involved. 

On  the  13th  May,  1777,  the  state  convention  re- 
elected  him  to  congress,  and  at  the  same  time 
thanked  him  and  his  colleagues  for  their  long  and 
faithful  services  rendered  to  the  colony  and  state 
of  New- York. 

Mr.  Livingston's  attendance  in  congress  did 
not,  however,  preclude  his  employment  at  home  in 
affairs  of  importance.  -  He  served  in  every  capa 
city  in  which  he  could  be  useful  in  the  councils  of 
his  state.  He  assisted  in  framing  a  constitution 
for  the  state,  and  on  its  adoption  was  chosen  a 
senator  under  it. 

In  October,  1777,  he  was  re-elected  to  congress 
under  the  new  constitution,  and  took  his  seat  in 
congress  in  May,  1778,  one  of  the  most  critical  and 
gloomy  periods  of  the  revolution ;  and  incessantly 
devoted  his  whole  faculties  to  the  salvation  of  his 
country.  He  expired  at  York,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  12th  June,  1778. 

A  short  time  previous  to  his  demise,  he  sold  a 
portion  of  his  property  to  sustain  the  public  cre 
dit;  and  though  he  sensibly  felt  the  approach  of 
death,  owing  to  the  nature  of  his  complaint,  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  relinquish  the  endearments  of  a  be 
loved  family,  and  devote  the  last  remnant  of  his 
illustrious  life  to  the  service  of  his  country,  then 
enveloped  in  the  thickest  gloom. 


LINCOLN,  BENJAMIN,  a  major-general  in  the  Ame 
rican  army,  was  born  in  Hingham,  Massachusetts, 
January  23d,  1733. 

Having  at  an  early  period  espoused  the  cause  of 
his  country  as  a  firm  and  determined  whig,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress,  and 
one  of  the  secretaries  of  that  body,  and  also  a  mem 
ber  of  the  committee  of  correspondence. 

In  1776,  he  was  appointed  by  the  council  of  Mas 
sachusetts  a  brigadier,  and  soon  after  a  major- 
general  of  the  militia. 

In  October,  he  marched  with  a  body  of  militia 
and  joined  the  main  army  at  New-York.  In  Feb 
ruary,  1777,  congress  appointed  him  a  major- 
general  in  the  regular  service. 

In  July,  1777,  general  Washington  selected  him 
to  join  the  northern  army  under  the  command  of 
general  Gates,  to  oppose  the  advance  of  general 
Burgoyne. 

During  the  sanguinary  conflict  on  the  7th  of  Oc 
tober,  he  received  a  wound,  which  badly  fractured 
his  leg,  and  was  obliged  to  be  taken  off  the  field. 
He  was  not  enabled  to  join  the  army,  until  the  fol 
lowing  August,  when  he  was  joyfully  received  by 
general  Washington,  who  well  knew  how  to  ap 
preciate  his  merit.  It  was  from  a  developement  of 
his  estimable  character  as  a  man,  and  his  talent  as 
a  military  commander,  that  he  was  designated  by 
congress  for  the  arduous  duties  of  the  chief  com 
mand  in  the  southern  department,  under  innumera 
ble  embarrassments. 

On  his  arrival  at  Charleston,  December,  1778, 
he  found  that  he  had  to  form  an  army,  to  provide 
supplies,  and  to  arrange  the  various  departments, 
that  he  might  be  able  to  cope  with  an  enemy  con 
sisting  of  experienced  officers  and  veteran  troops. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1779,  he  attacked  the  ene 
my,  who  were  strongly  posted  at  Stone  Ferry,  and 
after  a  hard  fought  action,  he  was  obliged  to  re 
tire. 


The  next  event  of  importance  which  occurred, 
was  the  bold  assault  on  Savannah,  in  conjunction 
with  count  D'Estaing,  and  which  proved  unsuccess 
ful.  He  then  repaired  to  Charleston,  and  endea 
voured  to  put  that  city  in  a  posture  of  defence. 

In  March,  1780,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  appeared  be 
fore  that  place,  with  a  force  not  short  of  9000  men. 
They  commenced  a  heavy  cannonade,  and  con 
tinued  to  besiege  it,  until  the  12th  May,  when  he 
was  compelled  to  surrender.  Notwithstanding  for 
tune  frowned  on  him,  in  most  of  his  bold  and  daring 
enterprises,  he  still  retained  his  popularity,  and  the 
confidence  of  the  army,  and  was  considered  as  a 
most  zealous  patriot,  and  the  bravest  of  soldiers. 

"  Great  praise  is  due  to  general  Lincoln,"  says 
Dr.  Ramsay,  "for  his  judicious  and  spirited  con 
duct  in  baffling  for  three  months,  the  greatly  supe 
rior  force  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  admiral  Ar- 
buthnot.  Though  Charleston  and  the  southern 
army  were  lost,  yet  by  their  long  protracted  de 
fence,  the  British  plans  were  hot  only  retarded  but 
deranged,  and  North  Carolina  was  saved  for  the 
remainder  of  the  year  1780." 

In  the  campaign  of  1781,  General  Lincoln  com 
manded  a  division  under  General  Washington,  and 
at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  had  his  full  share  of 
the  honour  of  that  brilliant  and  auspicious  event. 
The  articles  of  capitulation  stipulated  for  the  same 
honour  in  favour  of  the  surrendering  army,  as  had 
been  granted  to  the  garrison  of  Charleston.  He 
was  appointed  to  conduct  them  to  the  field  where 
their  arms  were  deposited,  and  received  the  cus 
tomary  submission. 

In  October,  1781,  he  was  chosen  by  congress 
secretary  at  war,  retaining  his  rank  in  the  army. 
In  this  office  he  continued  till  October,  1783,  when 
he  resigned,  and  received  a  vote  of  thanks  from 
congress,  for  his  fidelity  and  diligence  in  discharg 
ing  the  important  trust. 


He  now  retired  to  his  farm.  In  1786-7,  he  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  troops,  which 
suppressed  the  insurrection  under  Shays  and  Day. 

In  May,  1787,  he  was  elected  lieutenant-gover 
nor  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts.  He  was  a  mem 
ber  of  the  convention  for  ratifying  the  federal  con 
stitution,  and  in  the  summer  of  1789,  he  received 
from  president  Washington,  the  appointment  of 
collector  of  the  port  of  Boston.  This  office  he 
sustained  till  being  admonished  by  the  increasing 
infirmities  of  his  age,  he  requested  permission  to 
resign,  about  two  years  before  his  death.  He  clos 
ed  his  honourable  and  useful  life,  on  the  9th  of 
May,  1810. 

General  Lincoln  received  from  the  university  of 
Cambridge,  the  honorary  degree  of  master  of  arts. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the  American 
academy  of  arts  and  sciences,  and  a  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  historical  society.  He  was  also 
president  of  the  society  of  Cincinnati,  from  its  first 
organization  to  the  day  of  his  decease. 


LEE,  RICHARD  HENRY,  president  of  congress, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  from  his  earliest  youth 
devoted  his  talents  to  the  service  of  his  country. 
His  public  life  was  distinguished  by  some  remark 
able  circumstances.  He  had  the  honour  of  origi 
nating  the  first  resistance  to  British  oppression  in  the 
time  of  the  stamp  act  in  1765.  He  proposed  in  the 
Virginia  house  of  burgesses,  in  1773,  the  formation 
of  a  committee  of  correspondence,  whose  object 
was  to  disseminate  information,  and  to  kindle  the 
flame  of  liberty  throughout  the  continent.  He  was 
a  conspicuous  member  of  the  first  congress,  and 
throughout  the  contest  with  Great  Britain  no  mem 
ber  of  that  enlightened  and  patriotic  body  acted 
with  more  patriotism  and  zeal. 


In  1784,  he  was  chosen  president  of  congress, 
and  continued  a  member  of  that  body  till  1787, 
when  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  was 
.submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the  people,  he 
contended  for  the  necessity  of  amendment,  pre 
vious  to  its  adoption. 

After  the  government  was  organized,  he  and  Mr. 
Grayson  were  chosen  the  first  senators  from  Vir 
ginia,  in  1789.  This  station  he  held  until  his  re 
signation,  in  1792,  when  John  Taylor  was  appoint 
ed  in  his  place. 

He  died  at  Chantilly,  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Virginia,  June  22,  1794,  in  the  sixty- third  year  of 
his  age. 

He  supported  through  life  the  character  of  a 
philosopher,  a  patriot,  and  a  sage ;  and  died  as  he 
had  lived,  a  blessing  to  his  country. 

The  following  character  of  Mr.  Lee  is  from  the 
classic  pen  of  William  Wirt,  Esq. 

"Mr.  Lee,"  says  he,  "had  studied  the  classics  in 
the  true  spirit  of  criticism.  His  taste  had  that  de 
licate  touch  which  seized  with  intuitive  certainty 
every  beauty  of  an  author,  and  his  genius  that  na 
tive  affinity  which  combined  them  without  an  effort. 
Into  every  walk  of  literature  and  science,  he  had 
carried  this  mind  of  exquisite  selection,  and 
brought  it  back  to  the  business  of  life,  crowned 
with  every  light  of  learning,  and  decked  with  every 
wreath  that  all  the  muses  and  all  the  graces  could 
entwine.  Nor  did  those  light  decorations  consti 
tute  the  whole  value  of  its  freight.  He  possessed 
a  rich  store  of  historical  and  political  knowledge, 
with  an  activity  of  observation,  and  a  certainty  of 
judgment,  that  turned  that  knowledge  to  the  very 
best  account.  He  was  not  a  lawyer  by  profession  ; 
but  he  understood  thoroughly  the  constitution  both 
of  the  mother  country  and  of  her  colonies ;  and 
the  elements  also  of  the  civil  and  municipal  law. 
Thus  while  his  eloquence  was  free  from  those  stiff 
and  technical  restraints,  which  the  habits  of  forensic 


. 

speaking  are  so  apt  to  generate,  he  had  all  the 
legal  learning  which  is  necessary  to  a  statesman. 
He  reasoned  well,  and  declaimed  freely  and  splen 
didly.  Such  was  his  promptitude,  that  he  requir 
ed  no  preparation  for  debate.  He  was  ready  for 
any  subject  as  soon  as  it  was  announced;  and  his 
speech  was  so  copious,  so  rich,  so  mellifluous,  set 
off  with  such  cadence  of  voice,  and  such  captivat 
ing  grace  of  action,  that,  while  you  listened  to  him, 
you  desired  to  hear  nothing  superior,  and  indeed 
thought  him  perfect." 


LEE,  ARTHUR,  M.  D.  a  distinguished  statesman? 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the  brother  of  Richard 
Henry  Lee.  He  received  his  education  at  the  uni 
versity  of  Edinburgh,  where  he  also  pursued  for 
some  time  the  study  of  medicine.  On  his  return 
to  this  country,  he  practised  physic  four  or  five 
years  in  Williamsburgh.  He  then  went  to  Lon 
don  and  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  the 
temple.  During  his  residence  in  England,  he  kept 
his  eye  upon  the  measures  of  government,  and  ren 
dered  the  most  important  services  to  his  country 
by  sending  to  America  the  earliest  intelligence  of 
the  plans  of  the  ministry.  When  the  instructions 
to  governor  Bernard  were  sent  over,  he  at  the 
same  time  communicated  information  to  the  town 
of  Boston  respecting  the  nature  of  them.  He  re 
turned,  it  is  believed,  before  1769,  for  in  that  year 
he  published  the  Monitor's  letters  in  vindication  of 
the  colonial  rights. 

In  1775,  he  was  sent  to  London  as  the  agent  of 
Virginia,  and  in  the  same  year  presented  the  se 
cond  petition  of  congress  to  the  king.  All  his 
exertions  were  now  directed  to  the  welfare  of  his 
country.  When  Mr.  Jefferson  declined  the  ap 
pointment  of  a  minister  to  France,  he  was  appointed 


207 

in  his  place,  and  joined  his  colleagues,  Dr.  Frank 
lin  and  Mr.  Deane,  at  Paris,  in  December,  1776. 
He  assisted  in  negotiating  the  treaty  with  France. 

On  Dr.  Franklin  being  appointed  sole  minister 
to  France,  Dr.  Lee  returned  home,  and  was  after 
wards  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  for 
holding  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Na 
tions.  He  accordingly  went  to  fort  Schuyler  and 
executed  this  trust  in  a  manner  which  did  him 
much  honour. 

After  a  short  illness,  he  died  at  Urbanna,  in  Mid 
dlesex  county,  Virginia,  December  14,  1792. 

He  was  a  man  of  uniform  patriotism,  of  a  sound 
understanding,  of  great  probity,  of  plain  manners, 
and  strong  passions.  During  his  residence  in  Eng 
land,  he  was  indefatigable  in  his  exertions  to  pro 
mote  the  interests  of  his  country.  To  the  abilities 
of  a  statesman  he  united  the  acquisitions  of  a 
scholar.  He  was  a  member  of  the  philosophical 
society. 


LOGAN,  JAMES,  an  eminent  scholar,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  about  the  year  1674.  He  was  one  of  the 
people  called  quakers,  and  accompanied  William 
Penn  in  his  last  voyage  to  Pennsylvania.  For  many 
years  of  his  life  he  was  employed  in  public  busi 
ness,  and  rose  to  the  offices  of  chief  justice  and 
governor  of  the  province :  but  he  felt  always  an 
ardour  of  study,  and  by  husbanding  his  leisure 
hours,  found  time  to  write  several  treatises  in  La 
tin,  of  which  one  on  the  generation  of  plants,  was 
translated  into  English  by  Dr.  Fothergill.  When 
advanced  in  years,  he  withdrew  from  the  tumult  of 
public  business  to  the  solitude  of  his  country  seat, 
near  Germantown,  where  he  corresponded  with  the 
most  distinguished  literary  characters  of  Europe. 


1208 

He  also  published  a  version  of  "Cicero  de  Se- 
nectute,"  which  was  published  with  notes  by  Dr. 
Franklin. 

He  died  in  1751,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven, 
leaving  his  library,  which  he  had  been  fifty  years 
in  collecting,  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  It  con 
sisted  of  above  one  hundred  volumes  of  authors  in 
folio,  all  in  Greek,  with  mostly  their  versions:  all 
the  Roman  classics  without  exception  :  all  the 
Greek  mathematicians,  viz.  Archimedes,  Euclid, 
Ptolemy,  both  his  Geography  and  Almagest,  with 
Theon's  Commentary,  besides  many  of  the  most 
valuable  Latin  authors,  and  a  great  number  of  mo 
dern  mathematicians,  with  all  the  three  editions  of 
Newton,  Dr.  Wallis,  Halley,  &c.  This  valuable 
collection  of  books,  usually  called  the  "  Loganian 
Library,"  is  now  deposited  in  a  large  room  built 
for  the  purpose  adjoining  the  city  library.  The 
two  libraries  in  connexion  contain  near  thirty  thou 
sand  volumes, — the  largest  collection  of  books^in 
the  United  States. 


LYNCH,  THOMAS,  jun.  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  South 
Carolina,  August  5,  1749. 

His  father,  who  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men 
of  that  state,  superintended  the  instructions  of  his 
SQh,  and  in  his  thirteenth  year  sent  him  to  England 
to  complete  his  education.  On  his  arrival  in  that 
country,  he  was  placed  at  Eton  school,  preparatory 
to  his  admission  as  gentleman  commoner  at  the 
university  of  Cambridge.  At  this  institution  he 
afterwards  took  his  degrees. 

In  1772,  after  an  absence  of  eight  or  nine  years, 
Mr.  Lynch  returned  to  his  native  state  under  the 
most  promising  auspices. 


Few  men  had  ever  returned  to  America  more 
accomplished  in  the  most  valuable  sense  of  the 
term.  With  ample  stores  of  knowledge,  won  from 
the  solid  parts  of  human  learning,  embellished  by 
the  graces  of  polite  literature,  possessing  easy  and 
insinuating  manners,  combined  with  a  powerful 
and  fascinating  elocution,  he  was  enabled  at  once 
to  impress  that  community,  in  which  he  was  des 
tined  to  spend  his  short  life,  with  a  decided  con 
viction  of  his  great  fitness  for  public  confidence 
and  distinction. 

Shortly  after  his  arrival,  Mr.  Lynch  made  his 
debut  as  a  public  speaker,  at  one  of  the  town-meet 
ings  at  Charleston,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into 
consideration  some  of  the  accumulated  injuries  in 
flicted  on  us  by  the  mother  country. 

In  1775,  Mr.  Lynch  was  elected  to  represent  his 
state  in  congress,  in  the  place  of  his  father,  who 
was  obliged  to  resign  on  account  of  his  extreme  ill 
health. 

On  his  arrival  at  Philadelphia,  he  took  his  seat 
in  the  congress  of  1776,  an  assembly  the  most  au 
gust  that  the  world  has  ever  witnessed.  Here  he 
succeeded  in  fixing  a  just  impression  of  his  exalt 
ed  character,  superior  intellect,  and  persuasive 
eloquence.  He  had  not  been,  however,  long  in 
congress  before  his  health  began  to  decline  with 
the  most  alarming  rapidity.  He  was,  however, 
enabled  to  give  his  full  sanction  to  those  measures 
which  were  tending,  with  irresistible  efficacy,  to 
the  declaration  of  independence.  One  of  the  last 
acts  of  his  political  life  was  to  affix  his  signature 
to  this  important  manifesto. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  services  of  Mr.  Lynch 
in  congress,  his  father  remained  in  Philadelphia. 
He  had  experienced  a  temporary  alleviation  from 
his  bodily  sufferings ;  and  his  physicians  advised 
him  to  travel.  He  lived  only  to  reach  Annapolis, 
where  he  expired  in  the  arms  of  his  son,  in  the 
autumn  of  1776. 

27 


210 

The  afflicted  surviver,  after  this  distressing  event, 
at  the  request  of  his  physician,  prepared  to  take  a 
voyage  to  the  south  of  France.  He  accordingly  in 
the  year  1779,  sailed  in  a  ship  commanded  by  cap 
tain  Morgan,  accompanied  by  his  amiable  lady, 
whose  conjugal  devotion  increased  with  the  declin 
ing  health  of  her  husband. 

In  this  voyage,  they  unfortunately  terminated 
their  mortal  career.  The  circumstances  of  their 
fate  are  veiled  in  impenetrable  obscurity.  But  it 
is  supposed  that  the  ship  foundered  at  sea. 

Such,  it  is  most  probable,  was  the  fate  of  this  dis 
tinguished  patriot.  And  although  he  sleepeth  on 
the  "  ocean's  wave,"  his  name  is  destined  to  be  as 
permanent  as  are  the  foundations  of  her  wide  do 
main. 


211 


MORRIS,  ROBERT,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  de 
claration  of  independence,  and  an  eminent  finan 
cier,  was  born  January  20,  1734. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  lost  his  father.  Soon 
after  his  death,  he  was  taken  into  the  counting- 
house  of  Charles  Willing,  Esq.  of  Philadelphia, 
where  he  served  a  regular  apprenticeship.  In  a 
year  or  two  after  the  expiration  of  his  indentures, 
he  entered  into  partnership  with  Mr.  Thomas  Wil 
ling.  This  connexion  continued  for  the  long  period 
of  thirty-nine  years ;  and  previously  to  the  com 
mencement  of  the  American  war,  it  was  at  the 
summit  of  commercial  distinction. 

Few  men  in  the  American  colonies  were  more 
alive  to  the  gradual  encroachment  of  the  British 
government  upon  the  liberties  of  the  people,  and 
none  more  ready  to  remonstrate  against  them. 
His  signature  on  the  part  of  his  mercantile  house 
to  the  non-importation  agreement,  evinced  the  con 
sistency  of  his  principles  and  conduct,  and  at  the 
same  time  was  expressive  of  his  willingness  to  pre 
fer  a  sacrifice  of  private  interest  to  the  continuance 
of  an  intercourse  which  would  add  to  the  revenue 
of  the  government  that  oppressed  them. 

In  consideration  of  his  general  intelligence,  his 
high  standing  in  society,  and  his  patriotic  exer 
tions,  he  was  appointed  by  the  legislature  of  Penn- 
sylyania  a  member  of  the  second  congress,  which 
met  at  Philadelphia  in  1775. 

A  few  weeks  after  he  had  taken  his  seat,  he  was 
added  to  the  secret  committee,  and  was  employed 
in  financial  arrangements  of  the  greatest  impor 
tance  to  the  operations  of  the  army  and  navy. 

He  frequently  obtained  pecuniary  and  other  sup 
plies  on  his  own  account,  which  were  most  press- 


ingly  required,  when  at  the  time  it  would  have 
been  impossible  to  have  procured  them  on  the  ac 
count  of  government. 

It  was  by  his  timely  compliance  on  one  of  these 
occasions,  which  enabled  general  Washington  to 
gain  the  important  victory  at  Trenton.  Many  other 
similar  instances  occurred  of  this  patriotic  inter 
position  of  his  own  responsibility  for  supplies  and 
money,  which  could  not  otherwise  have  been  ob 
tained. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  he  signed  the  ever 
memorable  declaration  of  independence,  that  for 
ever  separated  us  from  England,  and  thus  pledged 
himself  to  join  heart  and  hand  with  the  destinies 
of  his  country,  while  some  of  his  colleagues,  who 
possessed  less  firmness,  drew  back,  and  retired 
from  the  contest. 

He  was  thrice  successively  elected  to  congress, 
in  1776,  '77,  and  '78,  and  was  one  of  its  most  use 
ful  and  indefatigable  members. 

The  free  and  public  expression  of  his  senti 
ments  upon  all  occasions,  and  the  confident  tone 
of  ultimate  success  which  he  supported,  served  to 
rouse  the  de spending,  to  fix  the  wavering,  and  con 
firm  the  brave. 

To  trace  him  through  all  the  acts  of  his  poli 
tical   and    financial    administration,    would    be    to 
make  a  history  of  the  last  two  years  of  the  revo 
lutionary  war.     When  the  exhausted  credit  of  the 
government  threatened  the  most  alarming  conse 
quences  ;  when  the  soldiers  were  utterly  destitute 
of  the    necessary  supplies  of  food    and  clothing 
when  the  military  chest  had  been  drained  of  its 
last  dollar,   and  even  the  intrepid   confidence   of 
Washington  was    shaken;    upon  his   own   credit, 
and  from  his  own  private  resources,   did  he  fur 
nish  those  pecuniary  means,  but  for  which  the  phy 
sical  energies  of  the  country,  exerted  to  their  ut 
most,  would  have  been  scarcely  competent  to  se 
cure  that  prompt  and  glorious  issue  which  ensued. 


In  the  year  1781,  he  was  appointed  by  congress 
•'superintendent  of  finance,"  an  office  for  the  first 
time  established. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  his  financial  govern 
ment  was  the  proposition  to  congress,  of  his  plan 
for  the  establishment  of  the  bank  of  North  Ame 
rica,  which  was  chartered  forthwith,  and  opened 
on  the  7th  January,  1782. 

On  his  retirement  from  office,  it  was  affirmed, 
by  two  of  the  Massachusetts  delegates,  that  "it 
cost  congress  at  the  rate  of  eighteen  millions  per 
annum,  hard  dollars,  to  carry  on  the  war,  till  he  was 
chosen  financier,  and  then  it  cost  them  but  about 
five  millions!" 

No  man  ever  had  more  numerous  concerns  com- 
mitted  to  his  charge,  and  few  to  greater  amount ; 
and  never  did  any  one  more  faithfully  discharge 
the  various  complicated  trusts  with  greater  des 
patch,  economy,  or  credit,  than  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

By  letter  to  the  commissioners  of  the  treasury 
board,  he  resigned  his  office  of  superintendent  of 
finance,  September  30,  1784. 

The  next  public  service  rendered  by  Mr.  Mor 
ris  to  his  country,  was  as  a  member  of  the  conven 
tion  that  formed  the  federal  constitution  in  the  year 
1787.  He  also  represented  Philadelphia  in  the 
first  congress,  that  sat  at  New-York  after  the  ratifi 
cation  of  the  federal  compact  by  the  number  of 
states  required  thereby,  to  establish  it  as  the  grand 
basis  of  the  law  of  the  land. 

At  length,  worn  down  by  public  labour,  and 
private  misfortunes,  he  rapidly  approached  the 
mansion  appointed  for  all  living ;  the  lamp  of  life 
glimmered  in  its  socket ;  and  that  great  and  good 
man  sunk  into  the  tomb,  on  the  8th  May,  1806,  in 
the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

The  memory  of  a  man  of  such  distinguished  uti 
lity  cannot  be  lost;  and  while  the  recollection  of 
his  multiplied  services  are  deeply  engraven  on  the 


214 

tablet  of  our  hearts,  let  us  hope  that  the  day  is  not 
distant,  when  some  public  monument,  recording 
the  most  momentous  occurrences  of  his  life,  and 
characteristic  of  national  feeling  and  gratitude, 
may  mark  the  spot  where  rest  the  remains  of  Ro 
bert  Morris. 


MORGAN,  DANIEL,  a  brigadier-general  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  the  state  of  New- 
Jersey,  and  from  thence  removed  to  Virginia,  in  the 
year  1755. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
he  was  appointed  captain  of  a  rifle  corps,  at  the 
head  of  which  he  marched  immediately  to  the 
American  head-quarters  at  Cambridge,  near  Bos 
ton. 

By  order  of  the  commander-in-chief,  he  soon 
afterwards  joined  in  the  expedition  against  Que 
bec,  and  was  made  prisoner  in  the  attempt  on  that 
fortress,  where  Arnold  wag  wounded  and  Montgo 
mery  fell.  During  the  assault,  his  daring  valour 
and  persevering  gallantry,  attracted  the  notice  and 
the  admiration  of  the  enemy.  The  assailing  co 
lumn  to  which  he  belonged,  was  led  by  Arnold. 
When  that  officer  was  wounded,  and  carried  from 
the  ground,  he  threw  himself  into  the  lead;  and 
rushing  forward,  passed  the  first  and  second  bar 
riers.  For  a  moment  victory  appeared  certain. 
But  the  fall  of  Montgomery,  closing  the  prospect, 
the  assailants  were  repulsed,  and  the  enterprise 
abandoned. 

He  was  taken  prisoner,  and  during  his  confine 
ment  was  treated  with  great  kindness.  On  being 
exchanged,  he  immediately  rejoined  the  American 
army;  and  received,  by  the  recommendation  of 
general  Washington,  the  command  of  a  regiment. 


215 

He  was  afterwards  detached  by  the  command er- 
in-chief  to  the  assistance  of  general  Gates,  and 
assisted  in  the  capture  of  general  Burgoyne  and 
his  army. 

On  this  occasion  his  services  were  beyond  all 
praise,  and  contributed  much  to  the  glory  of  the 
achievement. 

After  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  he  rejoined  the 
main  army,  and  was  always  employed  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  in  the  most  hazardous  enterprises. 

In  1780,  he  received  the  appointment  of  briga 
dier-general,  and  was  ordered  to  join  the  southern 
army.  Here  he  added  fresh  laurels  to  his  fame  by 
the  victory  he  obtained  over  the  British  army  at 
the  battle  of  the  Cowpens.  This  masterly  achieve 
ment  now  ranked  him  among  the  most  illustrious 
defenders  of  his  country.  In  commemoration  of 
the  importance  of  this  victory,  congress  ordered  a 
golden  medal  to  be  presented  to  him.  He  re 
mained  with  the  army  till  the  close  of  the  war,  per 
forming  the  most  important  services  for  his  coun 
try. 

He  was  afterwards  elected  a  member  to  con 
gress,  the  duties  of  which  station  he  filled  with 
great  dignity.  He  died  at  his  seat,  near  Winches 
ter,  Virginia,  in  the  year  1797. 

General  Morgan,  was  in  his  manners  plain  and 
decorous,  neither  insinuating  nor  repulsive.  His 
mind  was  discriminating  and  solid,  but  not  com 
prehensive  and  combining.  His  conversation  was 
grave,  sententious,  and  considerate.  He  reflected 
deeply,  spoke  little,  and  executed  with  keen  perse 
verance  whatever  he  undertook. 

He  was  indulgent  in  his  military  command,  pre 
ferring  always  the  affections  of  his  troops  to  that 
dread  and  awe,  which  surround  the  rigid  disci 
plinarian. 


MONTGOMERY,  RICHARD,  a  major-general  in  the 
American  army,  was  born  about  the  year  1737.  He 
possessed  an  excellent  genius  which  was  matured 
by  a  fine  education. 

Entering  the  army  of  Great  Britain,  he  success 
fully  fought  her  battles  with  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  in 
1759,  and  on  the  very  spot  where  he  was  doomed 
to  fall  when  fighting  against  her,  under  the  ban 
ners  of  freedom.  When  our  struggles  with  Great 
Britain  commenced,  he  ardently  espoused  the  cause 
of  liberty,  and  was  appointed  by  congress  to  the 
command  of  the  continental  forces  in  the  northern 
department. 

In  the  fall  of  1775,  he  marched  into  Canada, 
took  forts  Chamblee  and  St.  John's,  and  on  the 
12th  November  he  took  Montreal.  In  December, 
he  joined  Arnold  before  Quebec,  and  on  the  31st, 
made  a  general  assault  on  the  city.  He  bravely 
advanced  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  but  was  killed 
at  the  onset.  This  event,  no  doubt,  saved  the  city, 
and  was  the  ultimate  cause  of  preventing  the  whole 
province  of  Canada  from  falling  into  the  hands  of 
the  Americans. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  military  talents,  whose 
measures  were  taken  with  judgment,  and  executed 
with  vigour. 

By  the  direction  of  congress,  a  monument  of 
white  marble,  of  the  most  beautiful  simplicity,  with 
emblematical  devices,  was  executed  by  Mr.  Cas- 
siers,  at  Paris,  and  is  erected  to  his  memory  in 
front  of  St.  Paul's  church,  New-York. 


MORTON,  NATHANIEL,  the  historian  of  Plymouth 
colony,  was  one  of  the  first  planters  of  New-Ply 
mouth.  As  a  writer  of  the  original  events  of  the 
plantations,  he  is  known  to  all  who  turn  their  at 
tention  to  the  affairs  of  New-England.  No  book 


has  oftener  been  quoted  than  "  Morton's  Memorial.'5 
In  this  book  are  precious  documents  for  the  use  of 
future  historians,  who  recur  to  early  times.  It  was 
printed  in  1669,  and  has  since  gone  through  man}7 
editions. 

In  1680,  he  wrote  a  brief  ecclesiastical  history 
of  the  church  at  Plymouth. 


MOULTRIE,  WILLIAM,  governor  of  South  Caro 
lina,  and  a  major-general  in  the  American  war,  was 
devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country  from  an  early 
period  of  his  life. 

He  was  among  the  foremost  at  the  commence 
ment  of  the  late  revolution  to  assert  the  liberties 
of  his  country,  and  braved  every  danger  to  redress 
her  wrongs.  His  manly  firmness,  intrepid  zeal, 
arid  cheerful  exposure  of  every  thing  which  he  pos 
sessed,  added  weight  to  his  counsels,  and  induced 
others  to  join  him. 

In  1776,  for  his  brave  defence  of  Sullivan's  Island, 
he  received  the  unanimous  thanks  of  congress. 

In  1779,  he  gained  a  victory  over  the  British  in 
the  battle  near  Beaufort. 

In  1780,  he  was  second  in  command  in  Charles 
ton  during  the  siege  of  that  place. 

He  was  repeatedly  chosen  governor  of  that  state, 
till  the  infirmities  of  age  induced  him  to  withdraw 
to  the  peaceful  retreat  of  domestic  life.  He  died 
at  Charleston,  September  27, 1805,  in  the  seventy- 
sixth  year  of  his  age. 

He  published  memoirs  of  the  American  revolu 
tion,  so  far  as  it  related  to  North  and  South  Caro 
lina,  and  Georgia,  two  volumes,  octavo,  1802. 


MONROE,  JAMES,  LL.  D.  fifth  president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Virginia,  May  15,  1759,  and  graduated  at  the  col 
lege  of  William  and  Mary,  the  alma  mater  of  many 
of  our  most  distinguished  statesmen,  1776.  He 
immediately  joined  the  standard  of  his  country, 
and  bravely  fought  in  the  actions  of  Haerlem 
Heights,  White  Plains,  and  Trenton.  In  this  last 
affair  he  was  dangerously  wounded,  and  for  his  in 
trepid  conduct  was  rewarded  by  promotion.  In  the 
campaigns  of  1777  and  1778,  he  acted  as  aid-de- 
'  camp  to  lord  Stirling,  and  was  engaged  in  the  bat 
tles  of  Brandywine,  Germantown,  and  Monmouth. 
In  these  battles  his  conduct  was  marked  by  the 
distinguished  approbation  of  the  commander-in- 
chief. 

In  1780,  after  the  capture  of  Charleston,  he  vi 
sited  the  southern  army,  then  under  the  command 
of  Baron  de  Kalb,  at  the  request  of  governor  Jef 
ferson,  in  the  character  of  a  military  commissioner. 
In  the  latter  part  of  this  year,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  law,  in  the  office  of  governor  Jeffer 
son. 

In  1782,  he  commenced  his  legislative  career  as 
a  member  of  the  assembly  of  Virginia,  and  shortly 
after  was  called  to  a  seat  in  the  executive  council. 

In  1783,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  con 
gress  of  the  United  States,  and  continued  to  fill 
that  station  with  great  ability  for  three  years. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of  the  grand  conven 
tion  which  met  to  frame  a  constitution  for  the 
United  States,  and  although  the  youngest  member 
of  that  august  body,  the  course  that  he  pursued 
acquired  for  him  a  fame  as  lasting  as  the  constitu 
tion  itself. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  convention, 
which  was  amongst  the  first  to  adopt  it. 

Soon  after  the  adoption  of  the  federal  constitu 
tion,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  senate  of  the 
United  States,  and  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the 


establishment  of  the  judiciary  and  financial  sys 
tem,  and  aided  essentially  in  organizing  the  de 
partment  of  state,  the  treasury,  the  army,  and  the 
navy. 

In  1794,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Wash 
ington,  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of 
France.  Here,  the  unadorned  majesty  of  his  cha 
racter  shone  with  a  lustre,  which,  while  it  conci 
liated  the  ardent  leaders  of  the  French  revolu 
tionists,  maintained,  unimpaired,  the  exalted  admi 
nistration  of  Washington. 

On  his  return  home,  he  was  elected,  in  1799, 
governor  of  Virginia.  At  the  expiration  of  the  con 
stitutional  term,  he  declined  a  re-election,  and  re 
ceived  a  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  for  the  faith 
ful,  dignified,  and  impartial  manner  in  which  he 
had  discharged  the  duties  of  chief  magistrate. 

In  1802,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Jeffer 
son,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Livingston,  then  resi 
dent  minister  in  France,  envoy  extraordinary  and 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  that  country ;  and  he 
was  empowered  to  act,  in  concert  with  Mr.  C. 
Pinckney,  in  the  same  character  in  Spain.  In  this 
embassy  he  exhibited  profound  talents  as  a  diplo 
matist,  and  assisted  in  the  purchase  of  the  territory 
of  Louisiana. 

He  next  repaired  to  London,  in  the  summer  of 
1803,  to  succeed  Mr.  King,  who  had  requested  per 
mission  to  return  home. 

In  1806,  Mr.  Pinckney,  a  distinguished  advocate 
of  the  Maryland  bar,  was  associated  with  Mr.  Mon 
roe,  under  a  special  mission,  to  negotiate  with  lords 
Holland  and  Auckland  for  Great  Britain.  By 
these  commissioners  a  treaty  was  formed ;  but  its 
provisions  were  so  exceptionable  in  the  view  of 
president  Jefferson,  that  he  took  upon  himself  to 
return  it.  Several  attempts  were  made  by  our  com 
missioners  to  bring  matters  to  a  more  acceptable 
result,  but  without  success.  The  affair  of  the 


Chesapeake  produced  a  rupture  between  the  two 
governments,  and  Mr.  Monroe  returned  home, 

In  1810,  he  was  again  called  to  the  gubernatorial 
chair  of  his  native  state,  and  while  in  the  exercise 
of  this  office,  in  the  following  year,  he  was  appoint 
ed  by  president  Madison  secretary  of  state.  In 
this  station  the  scholar,  the  patriot,  and  the  states 
man  shone  conspicuously.  No  British  subtilty 
could  enthrall — no  vapid  promises  allure — no  me 
nacing  tone  could  deter  the  secretary.  The  firm  lan 
guage  of  remonstrance  gave  place  to  the  sonorous 
notes  of  war.  Hostilities  commenced  against  Great 
Britain,  and  he  was  called  upon  to  discharge  also 
the  duties  of  secretary  at  war.  Thus,  upon  one 
day  he  had  to  act  a  significant  part  in  the  cabinet — 
upon  another,  to  give  an  official  direction  to  the 
thunders  of  Plattsburgh,  the  Canadian  peninsula, 
and  New-Orleans. 

In  1817,  he  succeeded  Mr.  Madison  in  the  presi 
dential  chair;  and  during  a  happy  administration  of 
eight  years,  which  has  passed  away  in  a  period  of 
profound  peace,  a  public  debt  of  sixty  millions 
has  been  discharged;  the  internal  taxes  have  been 
repealed;  relief  has  been  granted  to  the  aged  and 
indigent  among  the  surviving  warriors  of  the  revo 
lution ;  the  Floridas  have  been  acquired;  and  our 
boundary  has  been  extended  to  the  Pacific  ocean ; 
the  independence  of  the  states  of  South  America 
has  been  recognised ;  the  African  traffic  in  slaves 
has  been  suppressed;  the  interior  regions  of  the 
United  States  have  been  explored;  provision  has 
been  made  for  cultivating  the  mind  of  the  Abori- . 
gines  and  turning  their  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
the  soil ;  and  in  preparing  by  scientific  researches 
and  surveys,  for  the  further  application  of  our  na 
tional  resources  to  the  internal  improvement  of  our 
country. 


MURRAY,  WILLIAM  VANS,  a  distinguished  states 
man,  was  born  in  Maryland,  in  the  year  1761. 
Having  received  an  education  preparatory  to  the 
practice  of  the  law,  immediately  after  the  peace  of 
1783,  he  went  to  London  and  resided  three  years 
as  a  student  in  the  temple.  On  his  return  to  his 
native  country,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  the 
law;  but  the  voice  of  his  country  soon  called  him 
to  her  councils. 

From  1791  to  1797,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
house  of  representatives  of  the  United  States.  This 
station  he  filled  with  distinguished  honour.  His 
eloquence  in  debate  placed  him  in  the  same  rank 
with  Madison,  Ames,  and  Dexter. 

President  Washington,  in  consideration  of  his  dis 
tinguished  talents  as  a  statesman,  appointed  him 
minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  Batavian  republic. 
He  arrived  at  the  Hague  at  a  very  critical  period  of 
affairs;  for  the  misunderstanding  between  the 
United  States  and  France  was  approaching  to  a 
rupture,  and  the  influence  of  the  latter  over  the  Ba 
tavian  councils  were  uncontrolled.  But  by  a  judi 
cious  mixture  of  firmness,  of  address,  and  of  con 
ciliation,  he  succeeded  in  preserving  uninterrupted 
harmony  between  the  American  and  Batavian  na 
tions;  and  the  first  advances  towards  the  restora 
tion  of  the  harmony  between  this  country  and 
France,  were  made  between  Mr.  Murray  and  Mr. 
Pichon,  then  charge  des  affairs  at  the  Hague. 

These  led  to  certain  propositions  for  a  renewal 
of  direct  negotiation,  which  he  transmitted  to  his 
government. 

Such  was  the  confidence  of  president  Adams 
in  Mr.  Murray,  that  he  immediately  nominated  him 
as  sole  envoy  extraordinary  to  the  French  republic 
to  prosecute  the  negotiation.  The  treaty  was  sign 
ed  at  Paris,  September  30,  1800,  and  has  contri 
buted  in  a  great  degree  to  the  present-  prosperity 
of  America. 


222 

In  1801,  he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and 
retired  to  his  seat  at  Cambridge,  Maryland. 

He  died  December  11,  1803.  In  private  life  he 
was  remarkably  pleasing  in  his  manners.  With  a 
mind  of  incessant  activity,  he  united  the  fancy  of  a 
poet. 

His  facility  in  writing  was  proportioned  to  the 
vivacity  of  his  mind.  His  letters,  by  their  elegance, 
their  simplicity,  their  poignant  wit,  and  unbounded 
variety  of  style,  will  long  establish  his  claim  as  a 
man  of  genius  and  of  literature. 


MINOT,  GEORGE  RICHARDS,  a  historian  of  Massa 
chusetts,  was  born  in  Boston,  December  28,  1758. 
He  entered  Harvard  college  in  1774,  and  was  there 
distinguished  for  decorum  of  behaviour,  a  most 
amiable  disposition,  and  close  attention  to  his  stu 
dies,  and  excelled  particularly  in  history  and  the 
belles  lettres.  He  was  graduated  in  1778.  Hav 
ing  pursued  the  study  of  the  law  under  the  care  of 
the  honourable  William  Tudor,  he  began  its  prac 
tice  with  a  high  reputation  and  with  fixed  princi 
ples  and  habits. 

In  1781,  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  house  of 
representatives  of  Massachusetts.  While  in  this 
office,  the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  fide 
lity  and  impartiality,  the  causes  which  produced 
the  insurrection  were  operating,  and  he  had  an 
opportunity  of  being  well  acquainted  with  all  that 
occurred.  These  troubles  of  our  country  he  re 
viewed  in  an  historical  narrative  of  the  rebellion, 
which  gave  him  high  reputation  as  an  author.  He 
afterwards  wrote  a  history  of  Massachusetts  bay,  in 
continuation  of  Hutchinson,  and  is  a  model  of  his 
torical  eloquence. 

Of  the  convention  of  Massachusetts  which  con 
sidered  the,  constitution  of  the  United  States,  he 


was  chosen  secretary.  In  1792,  he  was  appointed 
judge  of  probate  for  the  county  of  Suffolk,  and  se 
veral  years  afterwards  judge  of  the  municipal  court 
in  Boston. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Massachusetts 
historical  society.  He  was  also  a  fellow  of  the 
American  academy  of  arts  and  sciences.  He  died 
January  2,  1802. 


MIFFLIN,  THOMAS,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  fede 
ral  constitution,  and  major-general  in  the  army  of 
die  United  States,  was  born  about  the  year  1744. 
His  education  was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Smith,  provost  of  the  university  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  with  whom  he  was  connected  in  habits  of 
cordial  intimacy  and  friendship  for  more  than  forty 
years.  At  an  early  period  of  our  struggles  he  zeal 
ously  espoused  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  ably 
advocated  the  liberties  of  the  people  against  the 
usurpations  of  tyranny. 

In  1774,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first 
congress. 

In  1775,  on  the  organization  of  the  continental 
army,  he  was  appointed  quarter-master-general. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
which  framed  the  constitution  of  the  United  States, 
and  his  name  is  affixed  to  that  instrument. 

In  1788,  he  succeeded  Dr.  Franklin  as  president 
of  the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania, 
in  which  station  he  continued  till  1790.  In  Sep 
tember,  a  constitution  of  this  state  was  formed  by 
a  convention,  in  which  he  presided,  and  was  cho 
sen  the  first  governor.  . 

In  1794,  he  contributed  not  a  little  by  his  elo 
quence  and  activity  to  restore  order  and  peace 
among  the  insurrectionists  of  Pennsylvania, 


224 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  office  of  governor  by 
Mr.  M'Kean  at  the  close  of  the  year  1799,  and  died 
at  Lancaster  January  20,  1800,  in  the  fifty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  an  active  and  zealous 
patriot,  who  had  devoted  much  of  his  life  in  the 
service  of  his  country. 


MAYHEW,  JONATHAN,  DD.  a  learned  divine,  was 
born  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  October  8,  1720.  He 
was  educated  at  Harvard  college,  and  received  the 
honours  of  that  seminary  in  1744.  While  he  was 
a  youth  he  exhibited  marks  of  an  original  genius, 
and  such  strength  of  mind  as  was  very  uncom 
mon. 

After  being  occupied  for  some  time  in  the  study 
of  theology,  he  was  ordained  the  minister  of  the 
West  church  in  Boston,  June  17,  1747.  He  soon 
exhibited  a  liberality  of  sentiment  and  boldness 
of  spirit  which  excited  great  surprise. 

He  spoke  with  great  sensibility  against  every 
priestly  usurpation  over  the  consciences  of  men, 
and  with  peculiar  earnestness  in  favour  of  truth 
and  religion.  He  was  an  unshaken  friend  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  and  the  spirit  which  breathed 
in  his  writings,  transfused  itself  into  the  minds  of 
many  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  had  no  little  in 
fluence  in  producing  those  great  events,  which 
took  place  after  his  death.  He  was  the  associate 
of  Otis  and  other  patriots  in  resisting  the  arbitrary 
claims  of  Great  Britain. 

He  was  a  whig  of  the  first  magnitude.  In  his 
sermon  on  the  repeal  of  the  stamp  act,  1766,  he 
remarks.  u  Having  been  initiated  in  the  doctrines 
of  civil  liberty  as  they  were  taught  by  such  men  as 
Plato,  Demosthenes,  Cicero,  and  other  renowned 
persons,  among  the  ancients:  and  such  as  Sidney 


and  Milton,  Locke,  and  Hoadiey,  among  the  mo 
derns.  I  liked  them  ;  they  seemed  rational 

"And  having  learned  from  the  holy  scriptures 
that  wise,  brave,  and  virtuous  men  were  always 
friends  to  liberty;  that  God  gave  the  Israelites  a 
king  in  his  anger,  because  they  had  not  sense  and 
virtue  enough  to  like  a  free  commonwealth ;  and 
where  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty:" 
this  made  me  conclude,  "that  freedom  was  a  great 
blessing." 

He  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  promote  the  hap 
piness  of  his  brethren  in  every  possible  way,  and 
he  therefore  took  a  deep  interest  in  political  con 
cerns. 

He  died  suddenly,  July  8,  1766.  No  American 
author  ever  obtained  higher  reputation.  He  would 
have  done  honour  to  any  country  by  his  character, 
or  by  his  writings. 

He  possessed  superior  powers  of  mind.  In  clas 
sical  learning  he  held  an  eminent  rank.  His  writ 
ings  evince  a  mind  capable  of  making  the  nicest 
moral  distinctions,  and  of  grasping  the  most  ab 
struse  metaphysical  truths.  Among  the  corre 
spondents  which  his  literary  character  or  his  at 
tachment  to  liberty  gained  him  abroad,  were  Lard- 
ner,  Benson,  Keppis,*  Blackburne,  and  Hollis. 

His  writings  are  numerous  and  valuable. 


MORGAN,  JOHN,  M.  D.  F.  R.  S.  a  learned  physi 
cian,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  the 
year  1735. 

In  1757,  he  was  admitted  to  the  first  literary  ho 
nours  in  the  college  of  Philadelphia,  and  commenc 
ed  soon  after  the  study  of  physic  under  the  care  of 
Dr.  John  Redman,  late  president  of  the  college  of 
physicians. 

29 


With  a  view  of  prosecuting  his  studies  in  medi 
cine,  he  repaired  to  Europe,  and  after  attending 
the  lectures  of  the  celebrated  William  Hunter,  he 
spent  two  years  at  Edinburgh,  where  he  received 
the  instructions  of  Munroe,  Cullen,  Hope,  Ruther 
ford,  and  Whytt.  He  then  published  an  elaborate 
thesis  upon  pus,  and  was  admitted  to  the  degree  of 
doctor  of  medicine.  From  Edinburgh  he  went  to 
Paris,  and  passed  a  winter  in  attendance  upon  the 
anatomical  lectures  of  Mr.  Sue. 

He  also  visited  Holland  and  Italy,  and  in  both  of 
these  countries  he  was  fondly  received  by  the 
first  medical  and  literary  characters.  He  had  the 
honour  of  a  long  conference  with  the  celebrated 
Morgagni  at  Padua,  and  with  Voltaire  at  Geneva. 
On  his  return  to  England  he  was  selected  a  fellow 
of  the  royal  society  of  London.  He  was  also  elect 
ed  a  member  of  the  college  of  physicians  of  Lon 
don  and  Edinburgh.  During  his  absence  he  con 
certed  with  Dr.  Shipperi  the  plan  of  a  medical 
school  in  Philadelphia,  and  on  his  arrival  in  1765, 
was  immediately  elected  professor  of  the  theory 
and  practice  of  medicine  in  the  college  of  that  city. 

In  1769,  he  saw  the  fruits  of  his  labours,  for  in 
that  year  five  young  gentlemen  received  the  first 
honours  in  medicine  that  were  conferred  in  Ame 
rica. 

He  was  active  in  establishing  the  American  phi 
losophical  society  in  1769. 

In  1775,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  director- 
general  and  physician-in-chief  to  the  general  hos 
pitals  of  the  American  army. 

He  died  October  15,  1789,  in  the  fifty-fourth  year, 
of  his  age. 

He  published   "  Tentamen  Medicum   de  puris 
Confectioned  1763. 


MORRIS,  GOUVERNEUK,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,,  was  born  in  New-York,  about 
the  year  1751. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  commenced  his  po 
litical  career  as  a  member  of  the  provincial  con 
gress  of  his  native  state.  He  rendered  himself 
conspicuous  by  taking  the  lead  in  all  measures  con 
ducive  to  the  welfare  of  his  country. 

In  1778,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general 
congress,  and  soon  after  taking  his  seat  in  that  en 
lightened  assembly,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
committee  to  report  on  the  treaty  which  had  been 
negotiated  with  France.  And  while  a  member  of 
that  body,  the  public  journals  amply  bear  testimo 
ny  of  the  consideration  in  which  his  patriotism  and 
talents  were  held. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  removed  to  Phila 
delphia,  where  he  was  again  called  to  act  in  the 
councils  of  the  nation. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed  by  the  legislature  of 
Pennsylvania  a  member  of  the  grand  convention 
which  met  at  Philadelphia  to  frame  the  constitu 
tion  of  the  United  States. 

In  1792,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Wash 
ington  minister  plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of 
France. 

On  his  return  home,  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  In  this  body 
he  took  a  distinguished  part  in  the  ever  memor 
able  debate  on  the  repeal  of  the  judiciary  law,  to 
which  he  was  opposed. 

He  died  at  his  seat  near  New-York,  after  a  short 
illness,  October  10,  1816. 

There  are  few  men  to  whom  we  are  so  much  in 
debted  for  our  independence.  His  labours  were 
faithful,  enlightened,  and  unwearied. 


MARSHALL,  JOHN,  LL.  D.  chief  justice  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Virginia,  about  the  year 
1756.  Soon  after  leaving  college  he  joined  the 
American  army,  and  assisted  in  repelling  the  ene 
my  under  lord  Dunmore  from  the  shores  of  Virgi 
nia.  He  afterwards  joined  the  main  army  under 
general  Washington,  and  fought  his  country's  bat 
tles  till  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  when  he  com 
menced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  in  a  short  time 
rose  to  distinguished  eminence  in  his  profession. 

In  1788,  he  was  appointed  a  delegate  of  the  con 
vention  which  met  at  Richmond  to  revise  and  adopt 
the  federal  constitution.  In  this  enlightened  and 
patriotic  body  he  stood  pre-eminent,  and  bore  a 
conspicuous  part  in  the  discussions  which  preced 
ed  its  adoption. 

In  1797,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Adams 
envoy  to  France.  In  this  capacity,  he  exhibited 
profound  talents  as  a  diplomatist — and  his  nego 
tiations  with  that  court  are  an  honour  to  his  ta 
lents  and  to  his  country. 

On  his  return  home  he  was  appointed  secretary 
of  state,  and  in  the  following  year  he  was  appoint 
ed  by  president  Jefferson  chief  justice  of  the  United 
States. 

Since  his  appointment  to  this  high  trust,  he  has 
published  the  life  of  general  Washington,  written 
in  a  style  remarkable  for  its  clearness,  simplicity, 
and  strength. 

He  has  also  published  a  history  of  the  colonies, 
one  volume  octavo,  1824. 


MATHER,  INCREASE,  DD.  president  of  Harvard 
college,  was  born  at  Dorchester,  Massachusetts, 
June  21,  1639.  He  was  graduated  at  the  college, 
of  which  he  afterwards  became  president,  in  1656. 
After  a  period  of  four  years,  which  he  passed  in 


'.</;.,.,/  Pfoxi 


229 

travelling  in  England  and  Ireland,  he  returned  to 
America.  Having  previously  commenced  the  study 
of  divinity,  on  his  return,  he  was  invited  to  preach  at 
North  church,  in  Boston,  and  was  ordained  pastor 
of  that  church  in  1664. 

In  1683,  when  king  Charles  II.  expressed  his 
wish  that  the  charter  of  Massachusetts  might  be 
resigned  into  his  hands,  Dr.  Mather  zealously  op 
posed  a  compliance  with  his  majesty's  pleasure, 
and  used  all  his  influence  to  persuade  the  people 
not  to  surrender  their  charter,  and  published  his 
reasons.  In  1688,  he  sailed  for  England  as  agent 
of  the  province,  to  procure  a  redress  of  grievances. 
After  several  years  of  important  services,  he  return 
ed  with  a  new  charter,  May  14,  1692.  During  the 
witchcraft  delusion,  he  opposed  the  violent  mea 
sures  which  were  adopted. 

He  wrote  a  book  to  prove  that  the  devil  might 
appear  in  the  shape  of  an  innocent  man,  by  means 
of  which  a  number  of  persons,  convicted  of  witch 
craft,  escaped  the  execution  of  the  sentence.  Af 
ter  the  death  of  Mr.  Oakes,  in  1681,  the  care  of 
Harvard  college  devolved  upon  him,  and  over  which 
he  presided  until  September  6,  1701,  when  he  re 
signed  in  consequence  of  ah  act  of  the  general 
court,  requiring  the  president  to  reside  at  Cam 
bridge.  He  was  unwilling  to  leave  his  church, 
though  his  son,  Dr.  Cotton  Mather,  had  been  set 
tled  as  his  colleague  for  several  years. 

He  was  called  the  father  of  the  New-England 
clergy,  and  his  name  and  character  were  held  in 
high  veneration,  not  only  by  those  who  knew  him, 
but  by  succeeding  generations. 

After  a  long  life  of  benevolent  exertion,  he  died 
in  Boston,  August  23,  1723,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year 
of  his  age. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  and  of  exten 
sive  influence.  Sixteen  hours  every  day  were  com 
monly  spent  in  his  study.  Soon  after  his  return 
from  England,  he  procured  an  act,  authorizing  the 


230 

.college  to  create  bachelors  and  doctors  of  theolo 
gy  ;  which  power  was  riot  given  by  its  former  char 
ter.  As  a  president,  he  was  careful  not  only  to 
give  the  students  direction  in  their  literary  pursuits, 
but  also  impart  to  them  with  the  affection  of  a  pa 
rent,  the  importance  of  renouncing  sin,  and  em 
bracing  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Such  was  his  bene 
volence,  that  he  devoted  a  tenth  part  of  all  his  in 
come  to  charitable  purposes. 

His  theological  and  philosophical  publications 
amount  to  the  number  of  eighty-five.  Among 
which  are  the  following :  "  History  of  the  War  with 
the  Indians,"  1676 ;  "  Cometographia,  or  a  Dis 
course  concerning  Comets,"  1683  ;  "  The  Doctrine 
of  Divine  Providence,"  1684 ;  "  De  Successu  Evan- 
gelii  upud  Indos,"  1688 ;  "  On  the  future  Conversion 
of  the  Jews,  confuting  Dr.  Lightfoot  and  Mr.  Bax 
ter,"  1709;  "Diatribe  de '  Signo  Filii  Hominis,  et 
de  secundo  Messise  adventu;"  and  "  Elijah's  Man 
tle,"  1722. 


MATHER,  COTTON,  DD.  F.  R.  S.  an  eminent  divine 
and  philosopher,  was  born  in  Boston,  February  12, 
1663.  He  was  distinguished  for  early  piety,  and 
at  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  strictly  kept  days  of  se 
cret  fasting  and  prayer.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
graduated  at  Harvard  college,  having  made  uncom 
mon  proficiency  in  his  studies.  At  this  early  pe 
riod  of  his  life  he  drew  up  systems  of  the  sciences, 
and  wrote  remarks  upon  the  books  which  he  read, 
and  thus  matured  his  understanding.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  approached  the  Lord's  table,  with 
affectionate  reliance  upon  Jesus  Christ  for  salva 
tion.  Having  been  occupied  for  some  time  in  the 
study  of  theology,  he  was  ordained  minister  of  the 
North  church  in  Boston,  as  colleague  with  his  fa 
ther,  Dr.  Increase  Mather,  Mav  13;  1684.  Here 


lie  passed  his  days,  unwearied  and  unceasing  in  his 
exertions  to  promote  the  glory  of  his  Maker,  and 
the  highest  welfare  of  his  brethren.  He  died  in 
the  assurance  of  Christian  faith,  February  13, 1728, 
aged  65  years. 

Dr.  Mather  was  a  man  of  unequalled  industry,  of 
vast  learning,  of  unfeigned  piety,  and  of  most  dis 
interested  and  expansive  benevolence.  He  was 
also  distinguished  for  his  credulity  and  his  pedan 
try.  No  person  in  America  had  so  large  a  library, 
or  had  read  so  many  books,  or  retained  so  much  of 
what  he  read.  So  precious  did  he  consider  time, 
that  to  prevent  visits  of  unnecessary  length,  he 
wrote  over  his  study-door  in  capital  letters,  "  be 
short."  His  social  talents  and  his  various  know 
ledge,  rendered  his  conversation  interesting  and 
instructive.  Every  morning  he  usually  read  a 
chapter  of  the  Old  Testament  in  Hebrew,  and 
another  in  French,  and  a  chapter  of  the  New  Tes 
tament  in  Greek.  Besides  the  French,  he  under 
stood  also  the  Spanish  and  Iroquois,  and  in  these 
languages  he  published  treatises. 

He  was  a  most  voluminous  writer ;  his  works 
amount  to  three  hundred  and  eighty-two.  As  he 
published  his  works  of  piety,  he  put  them  into  the 
hands  of  persons  to  whom  he  thought  they  would 
be  useful ;  and  he  received  the  benedictions  of  ma 
ny  dying  believers,  who  spoke  of  his  labours  as  the 
means  of  their  salvation. 

Among  the  works  best  known,  are  his  "  Magna- 
lia  Christi  Americana,"  two  volumes  octavo,  new 
edition.  "  Essays  to  do  Good."  Dr.  Franklin  as 
cribed  all  his  usefulness  in  the  world  to  his  reading 
this  book  in  early  life.  It  has  been  reprinted  in 
England  and  America  a  number  of  times.  "Chris 
tian  Philosopher,"  1721 ;  "  Life  of  Increase  Ma 
ther  ;"  "  Ratio  discipline  Fratrum,"  Nov. An- 

glorum ;"  "  Biblia  Americana."   This  learned  work, 
which  it  was  once  proposed  to  publish  in  three  folio 


232 

volumes,  is  now  in  the  library  of  the  Massachusetts 
historical  society. 

His  literary  distinctions  were  chiefly  from  abroad. 
The  university  of  Glasgow  presented  him  with  a 
diploma  of  doctor  in  divinity ;  and  his  name  is 
on  the  list  of  the  fellows  of  the  royal  society  in 
London. 


MADISON,  JAMES,  fourth  president  of  the  United 
States,  was  born  in  Orange  county,  Virginia,  March 
5,  1750.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  entered  Prince 
ton  college,  and  received  the  honours  of  that  semi 
nary  in  the  year  1769.  On  his  return  to  Virginia, 
he  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  the  law, 
in  the  office  of  the  late  chancellor  Wythe.  Pre 
vious  to  the  year  1775,  he  discharged  the  duties  of 
several  important  offices  with  superior  talents  and 
fidelity,  and  in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia.  Although 
very  young,  his  profound  views  of  the  interests  of 
his  country  were  far  in  advance  of  his  years,  and 
not  behind  the  older  members  of  that  enlightened 
body.  He  was  soon  after  elected  a  member,  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  old  congress,  where  he  shone 
conspicuous  for  the  boldness  of  his  views,  and  the 
force  and  vigour  of  his  eloquence.  After  the  peace 
of  1783,  the  United  States  were  left  without  any 
efficient  government,  and  connected  only  by  the 
articles  of  confederation.  Each  state  was  an  in 
dependent  sovereignty,  and  pursued  its  own  sepa 
rate  plans  of  policy.  The  necessity  of  an  efficient 
government  was  apparent,  and  it  was  therefore 
deemed  necessary  by  the  friends  of  freedom  to 
frame  a  new  constitution.  To  carry  this  into  ef 
fect,  delegates  were  appointed  from  the  several 
states  to  meet  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1787. 
Of  this  ever  memorable  convention  Mr.  Madison 


233 

was  a  member,  and  assisted  in  framing  that  charter 
of  our  liberties — the  boast  of  political  science — and 
to  which  he  afterwards  affixed  his  name,  as  one  of 
the  deputies  from  Virginia. 

Immediately  on  his  return  home,  he  was  elected 
a  delegate  to  the  Virginia  convention,  which  met  at 
Richmond  in  the  year  following,  to  decide  on  the 
fate  of  that  instrument. 

This  convention  was  composed  of  some  of  the 
ablest  men  that  Virginia  has  ever  produced,  for 
genius,  talents,  and  eloquence.  In  this  enlightened 
body,  the  new  constitution  had  its  friends  and  its 
enemies.  Among  the  former,  none  were  more  con 
spicuous,  and  none  more  ably  contributed  to  its 
adoption  than  Mr.  Madison.  Soon  after  the  pub 
lication  of  the  constitution,  he,  conjointly  with 
general  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Jay,  commenced  the 
publication  of  the  Federalist,  in  the  cit^jrf-^ew 
York,  which  had  a  powerful  influjgftetrin  procuring 
the  adoption  of  that  instrument  in  that  and  other 
states.  Of  this  celebrated  work,  he  wrote  Nos.  10, 
14,  18,  19,  20,  37  to  58,  inclusive,  62,  63,  and  64. 
His  style  is  chaste,  his  logic  concise,  cogent,  and 
impressive. 

He  afterwards  represented  his  state  in  congress, 
until  the  year  1800,  when  he  retired  from  public  life. 

In  1801,  he  was  called  by  president  Jefferson  to 
the  office  of  secretary  of  state ;  and  in  the  year 
1809,  he  succeeded  his  predecessor  in  the  presi 
dential  chair. 

Of  the  ability  and  wisdom  of  his  administration, 
for  two  successive  terms,  ages  will  testify ;  and  its 
glorious  events  will  form  a  distinguished  epoch  in 
the  historical  annals  of  our  country. 

His  life  has  been  no  less  distinguished  for  su 
periority  of  intellect,  and  an  undeviating  zeal  in- 
promoting  the  true  interest  of  his  country,  than  for 
an  integrity  which  has  never  been  shaken,  and  a 
benignity  which  has  never  failed  to  shed  its  cheer 
ing  rays  in  every  circle  in  which  he  moves. 

30 


234 


NORTON,  JOHN,  a  celebrated  di vine, f[was3 born  'in 
England,  May  6th,  1606,  and  wasjeducated  at  the 
university  of  Cambridge.  His  talents  and  learning 
would  have  insured  to  him  preferments  in  his  own 
country,  but  he  preferred  coming  to  New-England, 
where  he  accordingly  arrived  in  the  year  1635. 

On  his  arrival  at  Plymouth,  he  was  invited  to 
take  charge  of  the  church  in  that  town,  and  pass 
ed  the  winter  in  preaching  to  that  people. 

Early  in  1636?  he  removed  to  Boston,~where  he 
was  highly  respected  for  his  accomplishments ;  and 
before  the  close  of  the  year  accepted  an  invitation 
to  settle  at  Ipswich,  where  he  continued  till  the 
YteStfe  -°f  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cotton.  While  he  was 
minister  of  Ipswich  he  wrote  a  number  of  books, 
which  procured  him'' "3r  high- reputation  He  also 
assisted  in  forming  the  Cambridge  platform,  which 
was  adopted  in  1648.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Cot 
ton,  at  the  close  of  1652,  the  church  in  Boston  ap 
plied  to  him  to  become  their  minister.  He  ac 
cordingly  preached  in  that  town  till  the  year  1655, 
when  he  returned  to  Ipswich.  After  the  restora 
tion  of  Charles  II.  it  was  thought  necessary  to  ad 
dress  him ;  accordingly,  Mr.  Norton  and  Mr.  Brad- 
street  were  appointed  the  agents  of  Massachusetts 
for  that  purpose.  It  was  a  most  delicate  and 
difficult  business  to  transact.  It  required  so 
much  art  and  dissimulation,  that  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  ought  not  to  have  been  concerned  in  it. 

Cromwell  was  the  friend  of  New-England.  Our 
clergy  had  justified  every  circumstance  of  the 
usurpation,  and  publicly  announced  the  piety,  as 
well  as  the  justice  of  the  court,  which  had  brought 
their  monarch  to  the  scaffold.  Men  who  had 

frown  gray  in  practising  political  devices,  would 
ave  been  puzzled  to  make  an  address  to  his  son 


235 

and  successor,  and  conceal  their  own  hypocrisy. 
The  conduct  of  our  agents,  the  unkind  treatment 
they  received  from  those  in  whom  they  trusted,  es 
pecially  the  resentment  of  the  fierce  republican 
spirit  of  this  new  world,  which  may  be  compared 
to  Hercules  in  his  cradle,  have  been  related  in  the 
histories  of  Massachusetts.  They  all  agree  that 
Mr.  Norton's  death  was  the  consequence. 

He  died  suddenly,  April  5, 1663,  aged  fifty-seven 
years. 

Mr.  Norton  was  distinguished  as  a  writer  as 
much  as  he  excelled  in  preaching.  In  controversy 
he  was  very  acute,  for  his  powerful  talents  had 
been  cultivated  by  an  excellent  education,  and  he 
was  familiar  with  the  subtleties  of  the  schoolmen. 
In  his  religious  sentiments,  he  accorded  with  the 
first  fathers  of  New-England.  In  1645,  he  drew 
up,  at  the  request  of  the  ministers  of  New-England, 
an  answer  to  a  number  of  questions,  relating  to 
church  government,  which  were  sent  over  by  W, 
Apollonius,  under  the  direction  of  the  divines  of 
Zealand.  This  was  the  first  Latin  book  ever  print 
ed  in  this  country.  It  was  written  in  pure,  elegant 
Latin,  and  published  1648,  one  volume  octavo. 

He  published  also,  "  The  meritorious  Price  of 
Man's  Redemption;"  the  "Orthodox  Evangelist;" 
the  "  Life  of  Mr.  Cotton :"  which  was  reprinted 
in  England. 


236 


OTIS,  JAMES,  a  distinguished  patriot  and  states 
man,  was  born  at  West  Barnstable,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  5th  day  of  February,  1725.  He  entered 
Harvard  college  in  June,  1739,  and  graduated  in 
1743.  In  three  years  after,  he  took  the  degree  of 
A.  M.  Previous  to  his  entering  on  the  study  of 
the  law,  he  spent  about  eighteen  months,  in  fur 
nishing  his  mind  with  various  kinds  of  knowledge, 
and  cultivating  a  classical  taste.  The  learning  he 
acquired  in  this  preparatory  study,  was  afterwards 
of  the  greatest  use  to  him.  He  inculcated  on  his 
pupils  as  a  maxim,  "that  a  lawyer  ought  never  to 
be  without  a  volume  of  natural  or  public  law,  or 
moral  philosophy,  on  his  table,  or  in  his  pocket." 

In  1745,  he  began  the  study  of  the  law,  in  the 
office  of  Mr.  Gridley,  at  that  time  the  most  emi 
nent  lawyer  in  the  province.  On  completing  his 
studies  under  him,  he  commenced  the  practice  of 
the  law  at  Plymouth.  After  two  years  residence 
at  Plymouth,  which  were  occupied  more  in  study 
than  in  practice,  he  removed  to  Boston,  and  very 
soon  rose  to  the  first  rank  in  his  profession. 

In  1761,  he  distinguished  himself  by  pleading 
against  the  "  writs  of  assistance;"  and  afterwards 
by  openly  opposing  and  denying  the  right  of  the 
British  parliament  to  tax  the  colonies. 

In  the  following  year  he  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts,  in  which  body 
the  powers  of  his  eloquence,  the  keenness  of  his 
wit,  the  force  of  his  arguments,  and  the  forces  of 
his  intellect,  gave  him  a  most  commanding  influ 
ence.  He  was  now  viewed  as  the  leading  charac 
ter  among  the  whigs ;  his  opposition  to  Bernard 
and  Hutchinson  combined  with  his  zeal  for  his 
country's  cause,  gave  ardour  to  his  spirits,  a  glov 


to  his  imagination,  and  energy  to  his  expressions. 
When  the  arbitrary  claims  of  Great  Britain  were 
advanced,  he  zealously  engaged  in  defence  of  the 
colonies,  and  was  the  first  champion  of  American 
freedom,  who  had  the  courage  to  affix  his  name  to 
a  production,  that  stood  forth  against  the  preten 
sions  of  Great  Britain.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
congress  which  was  held  at  New- York  in  1765. 
In  this  year,  he  published  in  London  a  pamphlet, 
entitled  "Rights  of  the  Colonies  vindicated."  For 
the  boldness  of  his  opinions  advanced  in  this 
pamphlet,  he  was  threatened  with  an  arrest.  Ne 
vertheless,  he  continued  to  defend  the  rights  of  his 
fellow  citizens. 

In  1767,  he  resigned  the  office  of  judge  advocate, 
and  renounced  all  employment  under  an  adminis 
tration,  which  had  encroached  upon  the  liberties  of 
his  country. 

He  was  one  of  those  master  spirits  who  began 
and  conducted  an  opposition,  which  at  first  was 
only  designed  to  counteract  and  defeat  an  arbitra 
ry  administration;  but  which  ended  in  a  revolu 
tion,  emancipated  a  continent,  and  established  by 
the  example  of  its  effects,  a  lasting  influence  on 
all  the  governments  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  public  career  of  Mr.  Otis  may  be  said  to 
have  ended  in  1769 ;  as  the  wounds  which  he  re 
ceived  shortly  after  in  an  affray,  incapacitated  him 
for  business.  During  the  remaining  years  of  his 
life,  he  was  sometimes  in  a  frenzied  state ;  at  others, 
exhibited  rather  the  eccentricities  of  a  humourist 
than  absolute  derangement. 

He  lived  to  see,  but  not  to  enjoy,  the  independence 
of  America;  an  event  towards  which  his  efforts  had 
greatly  contributed.  At  length,  on  the  23rd  May, 
1783,  as  he  was  leaning  on  his  cane  at  the  door  of 
Mr.  Osgood's  house,  at  Andover,  he  was  struck  by 
lightning  ;  his  soul  was  instantly  liberated  from  its 
shattered  tenement,  and  sent  into  eternity.  Presi 
dent  Adams  very  justly  remarks,  in  a  letter  to  one 


of  his  friends,  on  hearing  of  his  death,  "That  he 
left  a  character  that  will  never  die,  while  the  memo 
ry  of  the  American  revolution  remains  ;  whose  foun 
dation  he  laid  with  an  energy,  and  with  those  mas 
terly  abilities,  which  no  man  possessed."  He  was 
highly  distinguished  by  genius,  eloquence,  and 
learning,  and  no  American,  perhaps,  had  possessed 
more  extensive  information.  Besides  his  legal  and 
political  knowledge,  he  was  a  complete  master  of 
classical  literature.  As  a  patriot,  he  resisted  all 
allurements  that  might  weaken  the  cause  of  that 
country,  to  which  he  devoted  his  life,  and  for  which 
he  sacrificed  it. 

To  aid  the  cultivation  of  classical  learning,  he 
published  in  1760,  a  treatise,  entitled  "The  Rudi 
ments  of  Latin  Prosody,  with  a  Dissertation  on 
Letters,  and  the  Power  of  Harmony  in  Poetic  and 
Prosaic  Composition." 


PUTNAM,  ISRAEL,  a  major-general  in  the  Ameri 
can  army,  was  born  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  on 
the  7th  day  of  January,  1718.  He  was  indebted  to 
nature,  more  than  education,  for  a  vigorous  con 
stitution,  for  mental  endowments,  and  for  that  un 
daunted  courage  and  active  enterprise  which  were 
his  prominent  characteristics.  Much  confidence 
was  reposed  in  his  military  prowess  and  judgment; 
and  he  was  remarkable  for  a  faithful  perseverance 
in  all  the  duties  of  his  station,  and  for  the  most  un- 
deviating  principles  of  honour,  humanity,  and  be 
nevolence. 

In  the  year  1739,  he  removed  to  Pomfret,  in 
Connecticut,  where  he  applied  himself  to  the  art 
of  agriculture.  Not  long  after  his  removal  to  that 
place,  as  a  bold  display  of  character  in  early  life, 
we  have  it  recorded,  that  he  attacked  a  wolf  in  her 
den,  and  slew  her. 

During  the  French  war,  he  was  appointed  to 
command  a  company  of  the  first  troops,  which  were 
raised  in-  Connecticut,  in  1755,  and  was  distin 
guished  for  his  active  services  as  a  partizan  officer. 

In  the  year  1760,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant-colonel,  and  served  under  general 
Amherst  in  the  conquest  of  Canada. 

In  1775,  as  he  was  ploughing  in  the  field,  he  re 
ceived  intelligence  of  the  battle  at  Lexington.  He 
immediately  left  his  plough,  and  without  changing 
his  clothes,  repaired  to  Cambridge,  riding  in  a  sin 
gle  day  100  miles. 

On  receiving  the  appointment  of  a  major-gene 
ral,  he  returned  to  Connecticut,  levied  a  body  of 
troops,  and  returned  to  the  army. 

At  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  he  exhibited  his 
usual  bravery  and  intrepidity. 


240 

When  the  army  was  organized  by  general  Wash 
ington  at  Cambridge,  he  was  appointed  to  com 
mand  the  reserve.     In  August,  1776,  he  was  sta 
tioned  at  Brooklyn,  on  Long-Island,  and  after  the 
defeat  of  our  army  at  Flatbush  on  the  27th,  he  as 
sisted  in  the  arduous  and  complicated  difficulties 
of  that  masterly  retreat.     In  the  retreat  of  our 
army  through  New-Jersey,  he  was  always  near — 
always  the  friend,  the  supporter,  and  confidant  of 
his  beloved  chief;  and  the  moment  after  reaching 
the  western  bank  of  the  Delaware  with  the  rear  of 
the  army,  he  was  ordered  to  Philadelphia  to  fortify 
and  defend  that  city. 

After  the  loss  of  fort  Montgomery,  in  1777,  at 
the  request  of  general  Washington  to  point  out  a 
spot  to  built  another  fort,  he  decided  in  favour  of, 
and  proposed  West  Point. 

The  campaign  of  1779,  which  was  principally 
spent  in  strengthening  the  works  at  this  place, 
finished  the  military  career  of  this  veteran  and 
patriot. 

A  paralytic  affection  impaired  the  activity  of  his 
body,  and  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  in 
retirement,  till  the  19th  May,  1790,  when  his  ho 
nourable  and  useful  life  was  brought  to  a  close. 


PARSONS,  THEOPHILUS,  an  eminent  statesman 
and  lawyer,  was  born  at  Byfield,  Massachusetts, 
February  24, 1750.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  enter 
ed  Harvard  college,  and  was  ranked  among  the  first 
of  his  class ;  and  at  the  time  when  he  graduated, 
was  considered  to  be  the  first  in  talents  and  know 
ledge,  of  all  who  had  graduated  for  many  years. 

On  leaving  college  he  commenced  the  study  of 
the  law  at  Portland,  with  the  late  judge  Bradbury. 

After  having  been  admitted  to  practice  in  the 


courts  of  his  native  state,  he  soon  became  conspi 
cuous  as  a  lawyer  of  profound  talents. 

In  1777,  he  opened  an  office  in  Portland,  and  in 
the  following  year  was  elected  one  of  the  committee 
to  draft  a  constitution  for  his  native  state. 

This  production  contains  all  the  principles  in 
corporated  in  the  best  constitutions  of  government 
to  be  found  in  our  united  republic. 

After  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  the 
congress  of  the  confederate  states  dragged  on  a 
feeble  existence ;  not  wanting  in  dignity  and  ta 
lents,  but  without  powers  suited  to  the  great  con 
cern.  The  immediate  pressure  was  gone  which 
had  given  authority  to  their  laws,  if  they  deserved 
that  name.  The  states  were  jealous,  and  reluc 
tantly  yielded  to  their  control,  even  on  those  sub 
jects  which  could  not  be  managed  by  them  indivi 
dually.  It  was  at  this  crisis  of  affairs  that  a  gene 
ral  convention  was  called,  which  formed  a  consti 
tution,  and  submitted  it  to  the  several  states  for 
their  adoption. 

The  convention  of  Massachusetts  met  according 
ly  at  Boston,  in  1789.  Among  the  host  of  distin 
guished  statesmen  sent  to  this  convention  was 
judge  Parsons. 

This  was  a  most  critical  period  of  our  affairs, 
and  the  question  was  considered  as  affecting  the 
vital  interests  of  the  nation.  The  eyes  of  the 
world  were  on  the  republic.  The  lovers  of  aris 
tocracy  and  monarchy  were  hoping,  and  no  doubt 
were  fully  persuaded,  that  the  people  had  not  suf 
ficient  discretion  or  virtue  to  preserve  the  rights 
they  had  won,  and  that  all  would  be  lost  in  faction 
and  disorder.  Parsons  came  to  this  body  with  so 
lemn  apprehensions  of  failure,  but  with  a  fixed 
resolution  to  spare  nothing  to  obtain  the  adoption 
of  the  constitution.  He  brought  the  whole  stores 
of  his  learning,  and  all  the  mighty  powers  of  his 
muid,  to  act  upon  this  enlightened  assembly ;  and 
yet,  notwithstanding  the  great  exertions  and  the 

31 


powerful  eloquence  of  the  friends  of  the  consti 
tution,  only  a  small  majority  decided  that  impor 
tant  transaction. 

In  the  year  1800,  he  removed  to  Boston.  Here 
he  found  more  men  of  congenial  minds,  and  suffi 
cient  business  of  magnitude  and  profit,  and  it  be 
came  unnecessary  for  him  to  leave  the  town  to  at 
tend  the  courts  at  a  distance. 

In  1806,  chief  justice  Dana,  oppressed  by  the  in 
firmities  of  age,  resigned  his  office,  to  which  Par 
sons  succeeded.  In  this  appointment  the  public 
expectations  were  fully  realized,  for  he  was  the 
pride  arid  boast  of  every  enlightened,  unprejudic 
ed  man  in  the  commonwealth,  until  his  death, 
which  happened  October  6,  1813. 

This  event  was  felt  as  a  general  calamity.  The 
bar  throughout  New-England  deplored  the  loss  of 
this  great  master  in  the  profession;  and  the  learned 
bench  of  judges  mourned  the  extinguishment  of  the 
brightest  luminary  in  the  temple  of  justice.  In  the 
science  of  law  he  was  deeply  versed.  He  had  read 
with  attention,  and  retained  with  accuracy,  all  the 
legal  learning  to  be  found  in  English  and  French 
authors ;  and  he  had  gone  further,  and  caught  the 
manners  of  his  own  country,  and  blended  them 
with  the  common  law  authorities. 

He  knew  more  of  what  might  be  denominated 
New-England  law,  than  any  other  man.  He  was 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  profoundest  mathemati 
cians  of  his  age.  He  was  always  fond  of  classical 
studies,  and  had  a  most  extensive  acquaintance 
with  literature  in  general.  He  was  a  master  of 
the  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin,  and  French  languages, 
and  was  well  grounded  in  the  nature  and  princi 
ples  of  general  grammar. 

He  was  a  powerful  and  argumentative  speaker. 
To  learning  deep  and  extensive,  he  added  a  quick 
ness  of  comprehension  that  penetrated  every  thing 
stt  a  glance. 


24;; 

He  was  a  statesman  of  bold  and  extensive  views., 
careful  in  fixing  principles,  but  when  they  were 
established,  fearless  of  their  consequences. 


PAINE,  ROBERT  TREAT,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished 
patriot,  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of 
independence,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachu 
setts,  1731. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  entered  Harvard  col 
lege,  and  received  the  honours  of  that  seminary  in 
the  year  1749. 

In  the  following  year,  he  visited  Europe,  and 
on  his  return  home,  he  joined  the  provincial  troops 
in  the  capacity  of  a  chaplain. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  engaged  in  the 
study  of  the  law,  in  the  office  of  the  late  chief  jus 
tice  Pratt,  and  in  a  few  years  was  admitted  to 
practice. 

He  established  himself  in  Boston,  where  he  re 
mained  a  short  time,  and  then  removed  to  Taun- 
ton,  where  he  continued  for  many  years.  At  an 
early  period  of  the  contest  with  Great  Britain,  he 
took  an  active  part  in  the  measures  which  were 
adopted  by  the  leading  whigs  of  the  day,  in  oppo 
sition  to  the  measures  of  taxation  imposed  by  the 
British  parliament  on  the  colonies. 

In  1773,  when  the  conduct  of  the  British  admin 
istration  had  so  alarmed  the  patriots  of  America, 
that  the  colonies  were  corresponding  with  one  an 
other  to  withstand  the  tyrannical  acts  which  still 
threatened  them ;  a  similar  intercourse  was  esta 
blished  between  the  citizens  of  the  capital  and  the 
other  towns  in  Massachusetts.  On  this  occasion, 
the  town  of  Taunton  chose  a  large  committee, 
of  which  Mr.  Paine  was  chairman.  Resolu 
tions  were  passed  by  this  committee,  the  original 
draft  of  which  has  been  found  in  the  hand-writing 


244 

of  Mr.  Paine,  not  inferior  in  firmness  and  patriotism 
to  those  previously  passed  in  Boston. 

This  year  he  was  chosen  a  representative  to  the 
general  assembly  of  the  province,  for  the  town  of 
Taunton.  At  this  time,  none  but  firm  and  active 
friends  of  liberty  were  delegated  by  the  people. 
Those  only  who  possessed  talent  and  principle, 
were  selected  to  maintain  the  ancient  rights  of  the 
colonies,  and  to  consult  for  the  general  welfare. 
He  was  appointed  on  several  committees  during 
this  year ;  and  was  one  of  the  members  chosen  to 
conduct  the  impeachment  against  chief  justice 
Oliver. 

In  May,  1774,  he  was  again  chosen  a  member 
of  the  assembly.  At  this  critical  period,  the  arri 
val  of  general  Gage  to  succeed  governor  Hutchin- 
son,  excited  considerable  fears  among  the  people, 
as  they  believed  the  crisis  was.  approaching,  when 
the  acts  of  parliament  were  to  be  carried  into  ef 
fect,  if  opposed,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 

Nor  were  their  fears  groundless :  a  committee 
was  therefore  chosen  to  consider  the  safety  of  the 
colony,  of  which  Mr.  Paine  was  one. 

By  recommendation  of  this  committee,  a  very 
important  measure  was  adopted ;  which  was,  that 
a  continental  congress  should  be  holden,  to  be 
composed  of  delegates  from  all  the  colonies,  to 
consult  for  the  general  welfare,  and  for  the  main 
tenance  of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  America. 
Governor  Gage  having  received  some  intimations 
of  their  proceedings,  ordered  the  assembly  to  be 
dissolved :  for  some  hours,  however,  they  refused 
admittance  to  the  governor's  messenger.  In  the 
mean  time,  five  delegates  were  appointed,  (one  of 
which  was  Mr.  Paine,)  to  meet  those  who  should 
be  appointed  by  the  other  colonies,  in  a  general 
congress  at  Philadelphia  in  September  following. 

The  delegates  from  Massachusetts,  it  may  be 
proper  here  to  remark,  were  the  first  chosen  on  the 
continent. 


245 

A  similar  measure  had  been  adopted  in  1765,  by 
recommendation  of  the  assembly  of  Massachusetts. 
And  in  1768,  the  united  efforts  of  all  the  colonies 
had  been  proposed  by  a  circular  address  from  this 
province,  requesting  them  to  state  their  grievances, 
as  the  general  assembly  here  had  done,  and  "  to 
harmonize  with  them  in  all  probable  and  proper 
measures  to  obtain  redress." 

The  patriots  of  that  day  did  not  contemplate 
so  much  on  a  separation  from  Great  Britain,  as  to 
keep  inviolate  their  liberties  by  taking  a  firm  and 
decided  stand  against  the  encroachments  of  parlia 
ment.  It  was  under  these  impressions,  that  the 
first  continental  congress  met  at  Philadelphia,  in 
1774. 

In  May,  1775,  the  continental  congress  met  again 
at  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Paine  was  one  of  the  five 
delegates  chosen  to  attend  from  Massachusetts. 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  when  it  was  found 
that  the  administration  did  not  change  its  mea 
sures,  and  the  British  army  increased,  the  most  in 
telligent  and  resolute  of  the  members  declared  the 
propriety  of  becoming  a  separate  and  independent 
nation. 

In  December,  1775,  he  was  again  chosen  a  dele 
gate  to  congress.  In  June,  1776,  he,  with  Mr.  Rut- 
ledge  and  Mr.  Jefferson,  was  desired  to  report 
rules  for  the  conduct  of  congress  in  debate. 

On  the  4th  July,  when  the  solemn  declaration  of 
the  independence  of  the  American  colonies  was 
made  and  published  to  the  world,  he  was  present 
and  affixed  his  name  to  that  instrument. 

The  reputation  of  Mr.  Paine  for  zeal  in  the  cause 
of  liberty,  and  for  talents  and  activity  suited  to  the 
great  concerns  of  the  country,  was  now  as  high  as 
that  of  any  man  in  the  state.  He  acted  from  prin 
ciple,  and  was  fully  persuaded  of  the  justice  of 
the  cause  in  which  his  country  had  engaged.  He 
was  intelligent,  and  unwearied  in  his  efforts  to  be 
useful ;  and  when  difficulties  increased,  he  was  the 


more  resolute  and  active.  He  was  again  elected 
to  congress  for  the  years  1777  and  1778.  And  for 
a  part  of  thin  period,  also  filled  HOMO  of  the  highest 
offices  in  the  government  of  Massachusetts, 

In  1779,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  th<  ^onven- 
tion,  arid  was  appointed  one  of  the  commit u  r 
which  prepared  and  reported  the  constitution  for 
his  native  state,  and  which  was  afterwards  adopted 
by  the  people  in  1780. 

On  the  organization  of  the  government  he  was 
appointed  attorney-general  of  the  corn  rri  on  wealth, 
and  continued  in  that  office  until  1790,  when  he  ac 
cepted  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  supreme  judicial 
court.  He  held  this  office  until  the  year  1804, 
when  he  resigned.  In  the  same  year,  he  was 
chosen  a  counsellor  of  the  commonwealth.  He 
died  May  11,  1814,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty- 
four. 

Judge  Paine  was  a  decided  friend  to  the  consti 
tution  of  the  United  States,  which  he  supported 
by  his  writings  and  conversations.  He  retained 
his  mental  faculties  in  great  vigour  until  his  death. 
His  memory  was  remarkably  lively  and  powerful, 
and  he  was  prone  to  indulge  in  repartee  and  wit. 
He  was  a  patron  of  learning,  and  held  a  high  rank 
among  the  literary  men  of  our  country.  He  re 
ceived  the  honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  from 
the  university  of  Cambridge. 


PORTER,  DAVID,  commodore  in  the  navy  of  the 
United  Htates,  was  born  at  Boston,  on  the  1st  Fe 
bruary,  1780. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  obtained  a  midship 
man's  warrant,  arid  afterwards  went  on  board  the 
frigate  Constellation;  and  was  in  the  action  with 
the  French  frigate  FInsurgente.  For  his  brave 
conduct  in  thin  action,  he  received  the  commission 


247 

of  a  lieutenant,  lie  afterwards  manifested  great 
hkiii  and  valour,  in  capturing  a  number  of  French 
privateers  in  the  Went  Indian  seas. 

He  next  accompanied  the  first  squadron  to  the 
Mediterranean.  While  on  that  station  his  skill  arid 
intrepidity  on  all  occasions  were  conspicuous,  arid 
called  forth  the  applause  of  his  commander. 

In  Hepteniber,  IW)3,  he  joined  the  frigate  Phila 
delphia,  and  .shortly  after  her  running  foul  of  a 
lock,  .she  was  surrendered  to  a  superior  force,  and 
was  carried  a  prisoner,  with  the  officers  and  crew 
of  the  ship,  to  the  city  of  Tripoli.  After  the  esta 
blishment  of  peace  with  this  regency,  he  returned 
to  Syracuse,  and  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  brig  Enterprise. 

After  a  lapse  of  five  years,  he  returned  to  the 
United  Btates,  arid  was  appointed  to  command  the 
flotilla  on  the  New-Orleans  station. 

In  1812.  after  the  declaration  of  war  against 
Great  Britain,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  frigate  Essex.  lie  sailed  from  New-York 
on  the  3rd  July,  arid  in  a  few  days  afterwards  cap 
tured  his  majesty's  sloop  of  war,  Alert,  after  an 
action  of  a  few  minutes,  arid  carried  her  into  port. 
On  the  27th  October,  he  sailed  for  the  coast  of 
Brazil ;  after  capturing  several  valuable  prizes,  he 
pursued  his  way  to  the  southern  Pacific.  On  his 
arrival  in  this  ocean,  he  destroyed  a  large  amount 
of  British  commerce,  arid  augmented  his  force  to 
several  ships,  among  which  was  the  Essex  Junior, 
the  command  of  which  he  gave  to  lieutenant 
Downs, 

The  British  despatched  armed  ships  in  every 
direction  to  capture  him.  Commodore  Porter  hav 
ing  learned  their  intention-*,  he  determined  to  close 
his  expedition  to  this  sea,  with  something  more 
brilliant  than  the  capture  of  merchantmen  arid 
whalers.  He  accordingly  proceeded  to  the  island 
of  Nooahevah.  one  of  the  Washington  groupe,  to 
make  repairs* 


248 

On  the  19tli  of  November,  1813,  he  took  formal 
possession  of  this  island  in  behalf  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  by  the  name  of  Madison's  Island. 
It  is  situate  between  the  latitude  of  9  and  10  S. 
and  in  longitude  140  W.  from  Greenwich,  and  is 
large,  fertile,  and  populous. 

Having  refitted,  he  sailed  from  this  place  on  the 
12th  December  for  the  coast  of  Chili.  In  February, 
1814,  he  reached  Valparaiso.  On  the  28th  March, 
he  was  attacked  by  commodore  Hillyar's  squadron, 
in  violation  of  every  principle  of  honour,  and  re 
gardless  of  the  rights  of  nations,  within  pistol  shot 
of  a  neutral  shore.  After  a  hard  fought  action  of 
three  hours,  during  which  time  from  the  crippled 
state  of  the  Essex  at  the  commencement  of  the  ac 
tion,  only  six  guns  could  be  used,  commodore  Por 
ter  surrendered  to  a  superiority  of  more  than  dou 
ble  his  force.  Commodore  Porter  in  his  official 
letter  to  the  secretary  of  the  navy,  says,  "To  pos 
sess  the  Essex,  it  has  cost  the  British  government 
near  six  millions  of  dollars,  and  yet,  Sir,  her  cap 
ture,  although  dishonourable,  was  owing  entirely 
to  accident." 

On  commodore  Porter's  return  to  the  United 
States,  he  was  received  with  that  eclat  to  which 
the  brilliancy  of  his  actions  entitled  him.  He  af 
terwards  assisted  at  the  defence  of  Baltimore ;  and 
on  the  return  of  peace,  congress  having  establish 
ed  a  navy  board,  to  assist  the  operations  of  the  navy 
department,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  three 
commissioners  to  whom  its  directions  was  con 
fided. 

He  has  since  been  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the  American  fleet  on  the  West  India  station. 


PERRY,  OLIVER  HAZARD,  the   "Hero  of  Lake 
Erie,"   was  born   at  Newport*   Rhode-Island,   in 


249 

August,  1785.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  lie  entered 
the  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  shortly  after  he 
accompanied  the  squadron  to  the  Mediterranean, 
in  which  he  served  during  the  Tripoline  war. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  late  war  with  Great 
Britain,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
flotilla  of  gun-boats,  stationed  in  the  harbour  of 
New- York,  with  the  rank  of  master-commandant. 

In  1813,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  squadron  on  lake  Erie.  As  soon  as  he  had 
equipped  and  manned  his  vessels,  he  set  sail  from 
the  port  of  Erie  in  pursuit  of  the  British  fleet,  on 
the  8th  of  August.  Nothing  of  moment,  however, 
happened  until  the  10th  September,  when  he  dis 
covered  the  enemy  at  sunrise,  and  immediately 
made  for  them.  The  action  commenced  about  ten 
o'clock,  and  lasted  for  three  hours,  when  the  whole 
British  squadron  struck  their  colours.  Never  was 
a  victory  more  decisive  and  complete.  The  cap 
tured  squadron  had  more  guns  and  more  men. 
The  enemy's  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  amounted 
to  160,  the  Americans  123.  Soon  after  the  victory 
on  lake  Erie,  the  thanks  of  congress  were  voted  to 
the  commodore,  his  officers,  seamen,  and  marines; 
and  medals  were  presented  to  him  and  his  officers. 

In  1815,  commodore  Perry  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  Java  frigate,  and  sailed  with  com 
modore  Decatur's  squadron  to  the  Mediterranean, 
and  participated  in  the  negotiation  of  an  honour 
able  peace  with  the  Algerines. 

In  June,  1819,  commodore  Perry  sailed  from  the 
Chesapeake  bay  in  the  United  States  ship  John 
Adams,  for  the  West  Indies  and  a  cruise,  with  seal 
ed  orders. 

In  September,  1820,  the  melancholy  intelligence 
of  his  death  reached  the  United  States,  on  which 
occasion  the  secretary  of  the  navy  ordered  the 
usual  tribute  of  respect  to  be  paid  to  the  memory 
of  this  illustrious  officer. 

He  died  at  Port  Spain,  on  the  23d  August,  1820. 

32 


PIKE,  ZEBULON  MONTGOMERY,  a  brigadier -general 
in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  was  born  at  Lam- 
berton,  New-Jersey,  on  the  5th  of  January,  1779. 

By  his  own  perseverance  and  application,  he  be 
came  skilled  in  the  mathematical  and  astronomical 
sciences,  and  a  proficient  in  the  Latin,  French,  and 
Spanish  languages. 

In  1805,  a  new  career  of  honourable  destination 
was  opened  to  his  active  and  aspiring  mind. 

The  government  of  the  United  States  having 
purchased  Louisiana,  determined  upon  ascertain 
ing  its  geographical  boundary;  its  soil  and  natural 
productions ;  the  course  of  its  rivers  and  their  fit 
ness  for  the  purpose  of  navigation,  and  other  uses 
of  civilized  life ;  and  also  to  gain  particular  infor 
mation  of  the  numbers,  character,  and  power  of 
the  tribes  of  Indians  who  inhabited  this  territory. 

With  these  views,  president  Jefferson  appointed 
captains  Lewis  and  Clark  to  explore  the  unknown 
sources  of  the  Missouri,  and  captain  -Pike  that  of 
the  Missisippi. 

In  August  following,  general  Pike  embarked  at 
St.  Louis  on  this  interesting  and  perilous  expedi 
tion,  and  did  not  return  to  the  seat  of  government 
until  August,  1807. 

Before  tw,o  months  had  expired,  captain  Pike 
was  selected  for  a  second  perilous  journey  of  hard 
ship  and  adventure.  The  principal  purpose  of  this 
expedition  was  like  that  of  the  former,  to  explore 
the  interior  of  Louisiana,  especially  the  tributary 
streams  of  the  Missisippi,  Arkansaw,  and  Red  River, 
and  thus  to  acquire  such  geographical  information, 
as  might  enable  government  to  enter  into  definitive 
arrangements  for  a  boundary  line  between  our  new 
ly  acquired  territory  and  North  Mexico. 

Upon  his  return  from  this  last  expedition,  he 
received  the  thanks  of  the  government.  He  was 
shortly  afterwards  appointed  major,  and  in  1810. 
a  colonel  of  infantry. 


251 

During  the  interval  of  his  military  duties,  he 
published  a  narrative  of  his  two  expeditions,  ac 
companied  by  several  valuable  original  maps  and 
charts. 

In  1813,  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general, 
and  was  selected  to  command  the  American  forces 
in  an  expedition  against  York,  the  capital  of  Upper 
Canada.  On  the  27th  April  he  arrived  before 
York  at  the  head  of  his  troops,  and  attacked  the 
enemy's  works  in  person.  The  fire  of  the  enemy 
was  soon  silenced,  and  at  the  moment  that  a  flag 
of  surrender  was  expected,  a  terrible  explosion 
took  place  from  the  British  magazine,  which  had 
previously  been  prepared  for  this  purpose.  An 
immense  quantity  of  large  stones  were  thrown  in 
every  direction,  one  of  which  struck  the  general, 
the  wound  from  which  proved  mortal  after  linger 
ing  a  few  hours.  In  the  mean  while,  the  British 
standard  was  brought  to  him,  which  he  made  a 
sign  to  have  placed  under  his  head,  and  then  ex 
pired  without  a  groan  ! 


PINCKNEY,  CHARLES,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,  was  born  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1758. 

Unaided  by  a  college  education,  he  became  by 
the  assistance  of  private  instructers  a  proficient 
in  the  languages  of  Greece,  Rome,  arid  France,  in 
all  acquirements  essential  to  public  utility,  and  ne 
cessary  to  form  a  great  statesman. 

Ardent  and  impassioned  in  the  pursuit  of  litera 
ture  and  distinction,  he  did  not  long  remain  un 
known. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  he 
took  a  share  in  the  struggle  for  independence, 
and  was  one  of  those  patriots  who  underwent 


seven  years  calamity  to  restore  liberty  and  inde 
pendence  to  his  country. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  state  legislature,  which  place  he 
held  until  the  year  1787,  when  he  was  unanimous 
ly  elected  by  that  body  one  of  the  delegates  to  the 
federal  convention,  which  met  at  Philadelphia  to 
frame  the  present  constitution. 

Though  youngest  in  this  august  body,  yet  he  has 
ever  been  ranked  among  the  most  conspicuous  in 
eloquence  and  efficiency.  He  advocated  an  ener 
getic  general  government.  Of  the  various  propo 
sitions  which  he  originated,  there  is  one  which, 
though  not  a  part  of  the  constitution,  yet  the  peo 
ple  appear  to  have  adopted  in  practice.  This  was, 
that  the  president's  tenure  should  be  seven  years, 
and  afterwards  ineligible.  By  custom  he  is  con 
tinued  for  eight  years,  but  his  popularity,  which 
will  always  in  some  degree  influence  his  indepen 
dence,  is  exposed  in  four  years. 

His  distinguished  services  were  remunerated 
with  the  applause  of  his  constituents,  and  as  an 
evidence  of  their  high  opinion,  he  was  advanced 
to  the  chief  magistracy  of  his  native  state,  soon 
after  he  had  been  auxiliary  in  procuring  the  adop 
tion  of  the  new  constitution  by  the  state  conven 
tion. 

In  the  year  1798,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
senate  of  the  United  States.  He  was  afterwards 
appointed  ambassador  to  the  court  of  Spain,  where, 
besides  fulfilling  his  official  duties,  he  collected  a 
fund  of  information  on  the  manners,  laws,  and  cus 
toms  of  the  old  world.  Upon  his  return  from  Eu 
rope,  his  native  state  elected  him  for  the  fourth 
time,  governor. 

The  eloquence  of  Mr.  Pinckney  was  luminous, 
fervid,  and  without  acrimony ;  his  enunciation  was 
full,  ardent,  and  impressive. 

Gifted  with  unusual  colloquial  powers,  urbane  in 
manners,  with  a  temper  of  great  amenity,  he  always 


253 

added  to  the  enjoyments  of  social  intercourse. 
Though  visited  with  his  portion  of  mortal  frailty, 
yet  he  was  a  kind  master,  an  indulgent  parent,  and 
a  devoted  patriot. 

Adversity  presented  him  a  chalice  often  over 
flowing,  yet  he  abandoned  neither  hope  nor  his 
equanimity,  and  after  a  life  of  utility  and  vicissi 
tude,  calmly  sunk  into  that  sleep  where  ambition 
cannot  excite,  nor  the  pains  of  misfortune  again 
invade. 

He  died  October  29,  1824,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  sixty-six  years. 


PINCKNEY,  WILLIAM,  an  eminent  lawyer  and 
statesman,  was  born  at  Annapolis,  in  the  state  of 
Maryland,  March  17,  1765. 

At  an  early  age,  he  exhibited  proofs  of  extraor 
dinary  talents,  which  were  afterwards  improved  by 
a  classical  education.  He  particularly  excelled  in 
a  profound  knowledge  of  the  classical  writers  of 
antiquity. 

Under  the  patronage  of  the  late  judge  Chase,  he 
commenced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1786,  where,  at  his  first  appearance, 
he  gave  those  promises  of  ability  and  greatness, 
which  he  subsequently  fulfilled. 

In  1789,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Mary 
land  legislature,  and  in  1792,  was  called  to  a  seat 
in  the  executive  council. 

In  1796,  soon  after  the  ratification  of  the  British 
treaty,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Washington 
a  commissioner  in  accordance  with  the  provision  of 
the  treaty,  to  reside  in  London. 

In  1804,  he  returned  home.  During  his  stay  in 
London,  he  pursued  his  professional  studies  with 
increased  ardour,  and  was  a  close  attendant  of  the 
English  courts  of  law. 


254 

In  1806,  he  was  appointed  envoy  extraordinary 
and  minister  plenipotentiary,  in  conjunction  with 
Mr.  Monroe,  to  the  court  of  Great  Britain.  The 
treaty  which  was  procured  did  not  answer,  how 
ever,  the  expectations  of  president  Jeiferson,  and 
he  returned  it  on  his  own  responsibility,  without 
consulting  the  senate. 

After  vainly  endeavouring  for  three  years  to  ne 
gotiate  a  more  favourable  treaty  with  that  power, 
he  returned  to  the  United  States,  and  in  1812,  was 
appointed  attorney-general  of  the  United  States. 

In  this  capacity  he  shone  with  conspicuous  lus 
tre.  Ever  prepared,  and  never  off  his  guard,  he  en 
countered  his  subject  with  a  mind  rich  in  all  the 
gifts  of  nature,  and  fraught  with  all  the  resources 
of  art  and  study.  He  entered  the  list  with  his  an 
tagonist  armed  like  the  ancient  cavalier,  cap  a  pe. 
In  cases  which  embraced  all  the  complications  and 
intricacies  of  law,  where  reason  seems  to  be  lost 
in  the  ocean  of  technical  perplexity;  and  darkness 
and  obscurity  assume  the  dignified  character  of 
science,  he  displayed  an  extent  of  research,  a  range 
of  investigation,  a  lucidness  of  reasoning,  and  a 
fervour  and  brilliancy  of  thought,  that  excited  won 
der  and  elicited  admiration.  On  the  driest,  most 
abstract,  and  uninteresting  questions  of  law,  when 
no  mind  could  anticipate  such  an  occurrence,  he 
would  blaze  forth  in  all  the  enchanting  exuberance 
of  a  chastened,  but  rich  and  vivid  imagination.  In 
the  higher  grades  of  eloquence,  where  the  passions 
and  feelings  of  our  nature  are  roused  to  nature  or 
lulled  to  tranquillity,  he  was  still  the  great  magician 
whose  power  was  resistless,  and  whose  touch  was 
fascination.  His  eloquence  was  sublime,  majestic, 
and  overwhelming. 

His  order  was  lucid,  his  reasoning  logical,  his 
diction  select,  magnificent,  and  appropriate,  and 
his  style  was  flowing,  oratorical,  and  beautiful. 

The  most  laboured  and  finished  composition 
rould  not  be  better  than  that  which  he  seemed  to 


utter  spontaneously,  and  without  effort.  His  satire 
was  keen,  but  delicate ;  arid  his  wit  scintillating 
and  brilliant.  He  possessed  the  most  extensive 
and  varied  information,  and  was  never  at  a  loss  to 
ornament  and  illustrate  whatever  subject  he  touch 
ed.  He  was  ever  the  same ;  he  used  no  common 
place  artifice  to  excite  a  momentary  thrill  of  admi 
ration.  He  was  not  obliged  to  patch  up  and  em 
bellish  a  few  ordinary  thoughts,  or  set  off  a  few 
meagre  and  uninteresting  facts.  His  resources 
were  unlimited  as  those  of  nature,  and  fresh  powers 
and  new  beauties  were  exhibited  whenever  he  em 
ployed  his  eloquence.  A  singular  copiousness  and 
felicity  of  thought  and  expression,  united  to  a  mag 
nificence  of  amplification,  and  a  purity  and  chastity 
of  ornament,  gave  to  his  eloquence  a  sort  of  en 
chantment  which  it  is  difficult  to  describe. 

In  1816,  he  was  appointed  minister  to  the  courts 
of  Naples  and  Russia. 

On  his  return  home  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  senate  of  the  United  States. 

In  February,  1822,  while  engaged  in  an  impor 
tant  cause,  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States  at  Washington,  from  too  great  exertions,  he 
was  seized  with  a  fit  of  illness  which  in  two  days 
put  a  period  to  his  life — aged  fifty-seven  years. 


PAINE,  ROBERT  TREAT,  a  distinguished  poet,  was 
born  at  Taunton,  Massachusetts,  December  9, 
1773.  After  receiving  the  honours  of  the  univer 
sity  of  Cambridge,  he  entered  the  counting-house 
of  Mr.  James  Tisdale,  and  after  a  year  or  two  re 
linquished  it  for  the  muses. 

He  now  bent  his  whole  attention  to  literature 
until  the  year  1799,  when,  at  the  solicitation  of 
his  friends,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  law, 
in  the  office  of  the  late  chief  justice  Parsons. 


356 

In  1802,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  for 
several  years  received  as  much  business  as  he 
t3ould  well  attend  to,  and  was  fast  rising  to  emi 
nence  in  his  profession,  when  unfortunately  he  be 
came  negligent,  and  was  forsaken  by  his  patrons. 

He  now  resorted  to  publishing,  but  after  con 
tending  with  the  storm  of  adversity  for  several 
years  without  realizing  the  golden  harvest  which 
his  fine  genius  had  arrayed  before  him,  he  gra 
dually  sunk  under  disappointment  and  disease,  and 
expired  without  a  groan,  November  12,  1811. 

As  an  author,  he  will  always  rank  high  among 
the  poets  of  this  country. 

His  genius  was  certainly  of  an  high  order,  and 
his  poetry  is  marked  for  brilliant  imagery  and  ori 
ginality. 

His  poetry  has  been  published  in  one  large  vo 
lume  octavo. 


PAINE,  THOMAS,  a  poetical  and  infidel  writer  of 
great  notoriety,  was  born  in  England  about  the 
year  1737.  He  was  by  profession  a  staymaker. 
About  the  year  1774,  he  came  to  this  country,  and 
was  employed  as  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  Maga 
zine. 

In  the  next  year,  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Rush, 
he  wrote  his  celebrated  pamphlet,  entitled  "Com 
mon  Sense,"  for  which  he  received  £500  from  the 
legislature  of  Pennsylvania;  and  soon  after  this 
was  honoured  with  a  degree  of  M.  A.  from  the  uni 
versity  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  chosen  a  member 
of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 

He  was  afterwards  appointed  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  secretary  for  foreign  affairs,  but  was  shortly 
after  dismissed  for  a  scandalous  breach  of  trust. 

In  1780,  the  assembly  of  Pennsylvania  chose 
him  as  clerk, 


257 

in  1782,  he  printed  at  Philadelphia  a  letter  to  the 
Abbe  Raynal,  in  which  he  undertakes  to  clear  up 
the  mistakes  in  Raynal's  account  of  the  American 
revolution. 

In  1785,  as  a  compensation  for  his  revolutionary 
writings,  congress  granted  him  three  thousand  dol 
lars,  and  New-York  gave  him  an  estate  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  land. 

In  1787,  he  visited  England,  and  before  the  end 
of  that  year  published  a  pamphlet,  entitled  "Pros 
pects  on  the  Rubicon." 

In  1789,  he  visited  France,  and  on  his  return  to 
England  in  1790,  wrote  the  first  part  of  his  "  Rights 
of  Man,"  and  in  1792,  the  second  part.  In  the  fol 
lowing  year  he  again  returned  to  France,  and  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  French  convention.  As 
soon  as  Robespierre  had  gained  the  ascendency,  he 
sent  Paine  and  the  enthusiast  Cloots  to  prison  at 
the  Luxembourg,  and  narrowly  escaped  being  guil 
lotined. 

It  was  during  his  imprisonment  of  eleven  months 
that  he  composed  his  blasphemous  pamphlet  called 
the  "Age  of  Reason,"  the  first  part,  of  which  was 
published  at  London  in  1794,  and  the  second  part 
the  year  following.  This  work  has  been  ably  re 
futed  by  a  Watson,  a  Scott,  a  Wakefield,  and 
others,  and  the  ignorance  of  Paine  completely  ex 
posed. 

His  subsequent  publications  were  "  The  Decline 
and  Fall  of  the  English  System  of  Finance  ;"  a 
most  impudent  letter  to  general  Washington,  whom 
he  had  the  ingratitude  to  revile  as  an  apostate  and 
an  impostor;  "Agraritin  Justice  opposed  to  Agrarian 
Law,  and  to  Agrarian  Monopoly  ;"  "  Letter  to  Lord 
Erskine  on  the  Prosecution  of  J.  Williams,  for  pub 
lishing  the  Age  of  Reason." 

He  continued  in  France  till  1802,  where  he  de 
based  himself  by  debauchery  and  drunkenness, 
and  was  so  filthy  in  his  person  as  to  be  avoided  by 
all  men  of  decenc. 


In  October,  of  the  same  year,  he  arrived  in  Balti 
more,  and  brought  with  him  a  woman  whom  he  had 
seduced  from  her  husband,  with  her  two  sons ;  and 
whom  he  treated  with  the  utmost  meanness  and 
tyranny.  It  may  suffice  that  he  appeared  for  many 
months  before  his  death  to  be  sunk  to  the  lowest 
state  of  brutality. 

The  following  is  an  account  of  the  closing  scene 
of  his  life  as  related  by  his  medical  attendant,  Dr. 
Manley.  "During  the  latter  part  of  his  life,''  says 
this  physician,  "  though  his  conversation  was  equi 
vocal,  his  conduct  was  singular.  He  would  not  be 
left  alone  night  or  day.  He  not  only  required  to 
have  some  person  with  him,  but  he  must  see  that 
lie  or  she  was  there,  and  would  not  allow  his  cur 
tain  to  be  closed  at  any  time  ;  and  if,  as  it  would 
sometimes  happen,  he  was  left  alone,  he  would 
scream  and  halloo,  until  some  person  came  to  him. 
There  was  something  also,  very  remarkable  in 
his  conduct  during  the  two  weeks  preceding  his 
death,  particularly  when  we  reflect,  that  he  was 
the  author  of  the  "Age  of  Reason."  He  would 
call  out  during  his  paroxysms  of  distress,  without 
intermission,  "O  Lord  help  me,  God  help  me, 
Jesus  Christ  help  me,  O  Lord  help  me,"  &c. 

He  died  at  New-York,  on  the  morning  of  the 
Oth  of  June,  1809,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of 
his  age. 


PENN,  WILLIAM,  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
born  in  London,  October  14,  1644,  and  in  the  fif 
teenth  year  of  his  age  entered  as  a  gentleman 
commoner  at  Christ  church,  Oxford.  His  genius 
was  bright  and  his  imagination  lively.  Being  im 
pressed  with  the  preaching  of  an  itinerant  quaker, 
he,  with  a  number  of  other  students,  withdrew  from 
the  established  worship  and  held  meetings  by  them- 


259 

selves.  This  conduct,  which  soon  became  known, 
gave  offence  to  the  heads  of  the  college,  who,  in 
consequence  of  it,  fined  all  of  them  for  non-con 
formity.  This  happened  in  the  year  1660,  and  was 
afterwards  expelled  from  college;  when  he  return 
ed  home. 

Soon  after,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  France, 
and  renewed  his  studies  under  the  instruction  of 
the  learned  Moses  Amyrault.  He  afterwards  re 
turned  to  England,  and  at  the  suggestion  of  his 
father,  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  at  Lin 
coln's  inn. 

In  1666,  he  was  sent  to  Ireland,  to  manage  the 
estate  of  his  father,  where  he  attended  the  preach 
ing  of  Thomas  Loe,  a  famous  quaker-preacher,  and 
shortly  after  embraced  their  doctrines. 

This  turn  of  his  mind  greatly  displeased  his  fa 
ther,  and  he  was  dismissed  his  house.  He  then 
became  an  itinerant  preacher  and  gained  many 
proselytes.  In  the  same  year  also,  1666,  he  com 
menced  his  career  as  an  author.  Though  some 
times  imprisoned,  he  was  persevering,  and  sucli 
was  his  integrity  and  patience,  that  his  father  be 
came  reconciled  to  him. 

In  1670,  he  was  apprehended  for  preaching,  and 
was  confined  in  Newgate,  and  afterwards  in  the 
tower.  While  a  prisoner  he  could  not,  consistent 
ly  with  his  notions  of  duty,  remain  idle.  To  do 
good  by  preaching,  while  immured  there,  was  im 
possible;  he  therefore  applied  himself  to  writing. 
His  first  effort  ended  in  the  production  of  "  No 
Cross,  no  Crown,"  which  was  afterwards  followed 
by  other  works. 

After  he  was  released  from  prison,  he  crossed 
over  into  Holland,  and  travelled  through  Germany, 
preaching  and  publishing  his  doctrines  with  great 
success. 

About  this  time  his  father  died,  and  he  returned 
to  England  and  inherited  a  large  patrimony.  He, 
however,  continued  to  preach  and  to  write  as  before 


and  in  conjunction  with  Barclay  and  Keith,  formed 
the  fraternity  into  order. 

In  1680,  he  petitioned  Charles  II.  for  letters  pa 
tent  for  a  certain  tract  of  land  in  America,  in  lieu 
of  the  debt  due  by  the  government  to  his  father, 
and  which  he  was  induced  to  do,  from  a  desire  to 
spread  the  principles  and  doctrines  of  the  quakers; 
and  to  raise  a  virtuous  empire  in  the  new  land, 
which  should  diffuse  its  example  far  and  wide  to 
the  remotest  ages.  In  the  following  year  his  wish 
was  gratified ;  he  obtained  a  grant  of  the  tract  so 
licited,  under  the  name  of  Pennsylvania  which  the 
king  gave  in  honour  of  his  father. 

He  soon  after  drew  up  a  frame  of  government, 
carefully  preserving  therein  the  rights  of  con 
science. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  he  despatched 
three  vessels  with  passengers  and  commissioners, 
and  addressed  by  them  an  admirable  and  interest 
ing  letter  to  the  Indians,  explanatory  of  his  inten 
tions  and  views  in  settling  among  them. 

In  1682,  he  arrived  at  Newcastle,  convened  an 
assembly  of  the  quakers,  and  afterwards  visited 
New-York  and  Maryland. 

From  those  places  he  returned,  and  made  his 
great  treaty  with  the  Indians  ;  went  to  Pennsbury, 
fixed  on  a  site  for  his  new  city,  and  called  it  Phi 
ladelphia. 

In  1683,  he  proceeded  in  the  organization  of  the 
settlement.  The  assembly  met — juries  were  ap 
pointed — the  erection  of  Philadelphia  was  com 
menced  and  prosecuted  with  great  vigour,  and  he 
made  a  journey  of  discovery  into  the  interior  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  sent  to  the  free  society  of  tra 
ders  the  natural  history  of  that  settlement. 

In  1684,  he  returned  to  England,  and  by  his  ex 
ertions  was  instrumental  in  setting  at  liberty  up 
wards  of  thirteen  hundred  quakers,  who  were  con 
fined  in  prison.  On  the  death  of  Charles  II.  he 
became  a  favourite  of  James  II. ;  and  prevailed 


upon  him  to  pardon  and  release   the  celebrated 
Locke  from  prison. 

While  he  remained  in  England,  he  continued  to 
preach  and  to  write,  and  was  a  number  of  times  ill 
treated  and  cast  into  prison.  At  length,  after  a 
lapse  of  fifteen  years,  the  American  Lycurgus  re 
visited  his  province. 

He  retired  to  Pennsbury;  proposed  and  carried 
various  resolutions  in  favour  of  the  Indians  and 
negroes ;  travelled  in  the  ministry  through  the  pro 
vince,  and  in  the  Jerseys  and  Maryland;  made  some 
alterations  in  the  government ;  signed  the  new  char 
ter  ;  and  constituted  and  incorporated  Philadelphia 
a  city. 

He  afterwards  returned  to  England,  and  died  in 
that  country  July  30,  1718,  in  the  seventy-fourth 
year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Penn  was  a  man  of  great 
abilities,  of  quick  thought  and  ready  utterance,  of 
mildness  of  disposition  and  extensive  charity.  His 
labours  were  exerted  for  the  good  of  mankind  ;  and 
with  the  strictest  consistency  of  moral  conduct  and 
religious  opinion,  he  endured  persecution  and  ma 
lice  with  resignation,  and  guided  by  the  approba 
tion  of  a  pure  conscience,  he  showed  himself  in 
defatigable  in  fulfilling  of  what  he  considered  as 
the  law  of  God,  and  the  clear  demonstration  of  the 
truth  of  the  gospel. 

Distinguished  alike  as  a  politician,  a  theologian, 
a  legislator,  a  philanthropist,  and  a  Christian,  his 
name  to  the  latest  generations  will  ever  be  asso 
ciated  with  liberty,  truth,  and  vital  Christianity. 

His  select  works  have  been  published  in  five  vo 
lumes  octavo. 


PREBLE,  EDWARD,  commodore  in  the  navy  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  in  Portland,  Maine,  Au 
gust  15,  1761. 


262 

Prom  early  childhood  he  discovered  a  strong 
disposition  for  hazards  and  adventures,  and  a  firm, 
resolute,  and  persevering  temper. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  entered  as  a  midship 
man  in  the  navy  of  his  country,  and  distinguished 
himself  in  several  engagements  with  the  enemy. 

Previous  to  the  peace  of  1783,  he  was  promoted 
to  a  lieutenancy,  and  was  very  active  in  protecting 
our  coasting  trade,  and  taking  a  number  of  Eng 
lish  privateers. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  rupture  with 
France,  in  1798,  he  was  promoted  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  frigate  Essex,  and  in  the  year  1803, 
was  appointed  commodore  of  the  squadron  which 
was  sent  against  Tripoli.  In  this  affair  he  dis 
played  consummate  bravery.  In  consideration  of 
his  valuable  services,  congress  voted  him  the  thanks 
of  the  nation,  and  an  emblematical  medal,  which 
were  presented  by  the  president  with  emphatic 
declarations  of  esteem  and  admiration. 

He  died  August  25,  1807,  in  the  forty-sixth  year 
of  his  age, 


PINCKNEY,  CHARLES  C.  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
federal  constitution,  and  a  distinguished  patriot, 
was  born  in  South  Carolina,  in  the  year  1740.  At 
an  early  period  of  the  contest  with  Great  Britain, 
he  was  a  zealous  advocate  and  lover  of  liberty,  and 
distinguished  himself  by  his  courage  and  intrepidi 
ty  in  repelling  an  attack  made  by  the  British  fleet 
on  fort  Sullivan. 

For  his  brave  conduct  in  this  affair,  he  received 
the  appointment  of  aid-de-camp,  and  was  received 
into  the  family  of  general  Washington.  In  this 
capacity,  he  served  his  country  in  the  battles  of 
Brandywine  and  Germantown,  and  so  successfully 
won  the  confidence  of  the  commander-in-chief,  as 


2G3 

to  be  honoured  by  him,  afterwards,  both  in  the  field 
and  in  the  diplomatic  corps,  with  most  distinguish 
ed  and  important  appointments.  On  the  approach 
of  general  Clinton  to  Charleston,  he  was  despatch 
ed  to  the  south  to  take  command  of  fort  Moultrie, 
which  he  defended  with  his  usual  skill  and  bravery. 
On  the  reduction  of  Charleston  by  the  British,  he 
was  detained  a  prisoner  till  the  conclusion  of  the 
war,  and  had  no  further  opportunity  afforded  him 
of  serving  his  country. 

In  1787,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  that  en 
lightened  assembly  which  framed  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  which  he  affixed  his 
name.  He  was  afterwards  elected  a  member  of 
the  state  convention  :  by  the  force  of  his  reasoning, 
and  clear  demonstration  of  its  excellences,  contri 
buted  amply  to  its  adoption,  by  a  considerable  ma 
jority. 

In  1794,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Wash 
ington  envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  plenipo 
tentiary  to  the  French  republic,  to  settle  the  exist 
ing  differences  between  the  two  countries.  It  was 
on  this  occasion  he  indignantly  refused  the  pro 
posed  terms  of  the  French  directory,  demanding 
tribute  as  the  price  of  peace,  and  secured  to  him 
self  the  universal  applause  of  his  country. 

When  these  events  were  communicated  to  go 
vernment,  they  excited  the  keenest  and  most  ex 
tensive  indignation.  The  ardour  of  '76  was  re 
vived.  "Millions  for  defence,  but  not  a  cent  for 
tribute,"  was  daily  resounded  from  Maine  to  Geor 


gia. 


QUINCY,  JOSIAH,  an  eminent  statesman  and  pa 
triot,  was  born  in  Boston,  June  8,  1743.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  entered  Harvard  college,  where 
he  was  distinguished  for  the  vivacity  of  his  genius, 
and  his  application  to  study. 

In  1763,  he  received  the  honours  of  that  univer 
sity.     He  afterwards  became  an  eminent  counsel-  . 
lor  at  law  in  Boston. 

At  the  bar  he  discovered  much  legal  informa 
tion.  He  was  energetic  and  fluent,  and  seldom 
failed  of  impressing  his  sentiments  upon  the  jury 
in  the  most  pointed  and  perspicuous  manner.  His 
political  character,  however,  gave  him  the  greatest 
claim  to  public  favour.  As  a  friend  to  liberty,  the 
people  regarded  him  with  admiration  bordering 
on  enthusiasm.  He  had  a  tongue  to  speak,  and  a 
pen  to  write,  which  have  not  been  exceeded  in  this 
country. 

He  opposed  with  firmness  and  zeal  the  arbi 
trary  proceedings  and  claims  of  the  British  parlia 
ment. 

His  publication,  in  1774,  entitled  "  Thoughts 
on  the  Boston  Port  Bill,"  &c.  was  a  seasonable 
work,  fraught  with  much  information;  and  written 
with  great  energy.  It  was  the  means  of  stimulat 
ing  the  body  of  the  people  to  manly  and  decent 
exertions  in  defence  of  their  natural  and  constitu 
tional  rights. 

The  health  of  Mr.  Quincy  had  been  some  time 
declining.  Amidst  his  vigorous  exertions  for  the 
public  good,  he  thought  too  little  of  himself. 

In  1774,  he  sailed  for  England  at  the  request  of 
several  of  his  fellow  patriots  to  promote  the  in 
terests  of  America.  He  set  sail  on  his  return  in 


the  following  year,  but  he  died  on  board  the  ves 
sel  on  the  very  day  of  its  arrival  at  Cape  Ann, 
April  24, 1775. 

He  fell  a  victim  to  his  zeal  for  his  country's 
good. 


266 


RUSH,  BENJAMIN,  M.  D.  a  celebrated  Physician, 
and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  inde 
pendence,  was  born  near  Philadelphia,  on  the  24th 
December,  1745.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  enter 
ed  Princeton  college,  and  was  graduated  in  1760. 
Shortly  after,  he  commenced  the  study  of  physic, 
under  Dr.  John  Redman,  an  eminent  practitioner 
in  Philadelphia. 

Having  acquired  such  elementary  knowledge  in 
medicine  as  the  resources  of  his  native  country  at 
that  time  afforded,  for  the  completion  of  his  educa 
tion,  he  repaired,  in  the  year  1766,  to  the  school 
of  Edinburgh,  then  in  the  zenith  of  its  utility  and 
renown. 

After  an  assiduous  attendance  on  the  lectures 
and  hospitals  of  that  place,  he,  in  the  year  1768, 
obtained  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine. 

Having  spent  the  succeeding  winter  in  an  atten 
dance  on  the  hospitals,  and  other  sources  of  medi 
cal  instruction  in  London,  and  made  a  visit  to  Paris 
the  following  summer,  to  derive  information  from 
the  schools  of  that  metropolis,  he  returned  to  Phila 
delphia  in  the  course  of  the  autumn  of  1769.  He 
now  commenced  the  practice  of  physic  with  the 
brightest  prospect  of  success,  and  in  a  very  Tew  years 
ranked  with  the  ablest  of  the  physicians  of  Phila 
delphia. 

As  a  practitioner,  his  highest  excellence  lay  in 
his  knowledge  and  treatment  of  fever.  It  was  in 
his  combats  with  that  form  of  disease  that  he 
manifested,  at  once,  the  strength  of  a  giant  and 
the  skill  of  an  adept.  For  many  years,  pulmonary 
consumption  and  the  diseases  of  the  mind  consti 
tuted  especially  the  objects  of  his  attention.  As  a 
teacher,  his  qualifications  were  pre-eminently  great. 
Ardently  attached  to  his  profession,  ample  in  his 
resources-,,  eloquent  and  animated  in  his  delivery, 


and  unusually  perspicuous  in  las  .style  and  arrange 
ment,  his  mode  of  communicating  knowledge  was 
pleasing  arid  impressive. 

By  enlightened  foreigners,  as  well  as  by  those 
of  his  own  countrymen,  who  had  visited  the  medi 
cal  schools  of  Europe,  he  was  acknowledged  to 
be  one  of  the  most  popular  lecturers  of  the  age. 

In  short,  he  was  to  the  medical  school  of  Phila 
delphia,  what  Boerhaave  was  to  the  school  of  Ley- 
den,  and  Cullen  to  that  of  Edinburgh. 

Various  are  the  academical  honours  conferred 
on  him  in  the  course  of  his  lifetime  by  the  univer 
sity  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1769,  he  was  chosen  pro 
fessor  of  chymistry.  In  1789,  professor  of  the 
theory  and  practice  of  medicine.  In  1791,  profes 
sor  of  the  institutes  of  medicine  and  of  clinical 
practice :  and  on  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Kuhn,  he 
was  promoted  to  the  chair  of  the  practice  of  physic. 

As  a  man  of  business,  he  moved  in  a  sphere  that 
was  extensive  and  important. 

He  took  a  zealous  and  active  part  in  the  revolu 
tionary  conflict  which  severed  the  British  empire, 
and  gave  existence,  as  a  nation,  to  the  United 
States. 

Both  his  tongue  and  his  pen  were  effectively 
employed  in  the  sacred  cause,  and  he  was  closely 
associated  with  many  of  the  most  distinguished 
American  patriots  of  the  time.  In  July,  1776,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  celebrated  congress  of 
that  year,  and,  pursuant  to  a  rule  of  that  house, 
subscribed  his  name  to  the  declaration  of  indepen 
dence,  which  had  been  previously  ratified  on  the 
fourth  day  of  the  same  month. 

In  1777,  he  was  appointed  physician-general  of 
the  United  States.  In  1788,  he  was  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  the  convention  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania^ 
for  the  adoption  of  the  federal  constitution. 

Besides  these  delegated  arid  official  trusts,  he 
took,  as  a  member  of  the  community,  a  very  promi 
nent  concern  in  nil  the  leading  national  transactions 


that  occurred  from  the  commencement  of  the  revo 
lutionary  war  till  the  organization  of  our  present 
form  of  government.  Cotemporary  with  the  ter 
mination  of  this  latter  event  was  the  termination  of 
his  political  life.  The  only  appointment  he  ever 
held  under  the  federal  government,  as  an  acknow 
ledgment  of  all  that  he  had  contributed  towards 
its  establishment,  was  that  of  cashier  of  the  mint 
of  the  United  States. 

He  was  president  of  the  Philadelphia  medical 
society;  vice-president  of  the  American  philoso 
phical  society,  and  a  member  of  many  other  learn 
ed  and  benevolent  institutions  both  in  America  and 
Europe. 

In  the  midst  of  his  honours  and  usefulness,  ad 
vanced  in  years,  but  in  the  meridian  of  his  fame, 
he  died,  after  a  short  illness,  on  the  19th  April, 
1813.  From  one  extreme  of  the  United  States  to 
the  other,  the  event  was  deplored.  Even  Europe 
shed  a  tear  of  sensibility  on  his  ashes,  and  the 
voice  of  eulogy  was  raised  to  his  memory.  For  the 
man  of  genius  and  learning,  science  and  active  phi 
lanthropy,  becomes  deservedly  the  favourite  of  the 
civilized  world. 

His  person  was  above  the  middle  size,  and  his 
figure  slender,  but  well  proportioned.  His  fore 
head  was  prominent,  his  nose  aquiline,  his  eyes 
blue,  and  highly  animated.  His  look  was  fixed, 
and  his  whole  demeanour  thoughtful  and  grave. 

He  was  temperate  in  his  diet,  neat  in  his  dress, 
and  sociable  in  his  habits.  In  colloquial  powers 
he  had  few  equals.  His  conversation  was  an  attic 
repast. 

Considered  in  relation  to  the  entire  compass  of 
his  character ;  as  a  practitioner,  a  teacher,  a  philo 
sopher,  and  a  writer,  Dr.  Rush  must  be  acknow 
ledged  to  have  been  the  most  distinguished  physi 
cian  that  America  has  produced. 

His  professional  works  are  comprised  in  five  vo 
lumes  octavo. 


269 

RITTENHOUSE,  DAVID,  LL.  D.  F.  R.  S.  a  distin 
guished  philosopher  and  astronomer,  was  born  in 
Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  April  8,  1732. 

During  his  residence  with  his  father  in  the  coun 
try,  he  made  himself  master  of  Newton's  Prin- 
cipia.  It  was  here  likewise  he  became  acquainted 
with  the  science  of  fluxions,  of  which  sublime  in 
vention  he  believed  himself  for  a  while  the  first 
author ;  nor  did  he  know  for  some  years  afterwards, 
that  a  contest  had  been  carried  on  between  New 
ton  and  Leibnitz,  for  the  honour  of  that  great  dis 
covery. 

Thus  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  without  literary 
friends  and  without  advantages,  he  became  the  rival 
of  the  two  greatest  mathematicians  of  Europe. 

In  this  retired  situation,  he  also  planned  and  ex 
ecuted  an  orrery,  by  which  he  represented  the  re 
volutions  of  the  heavenly  bodies  more  completely 
than  ever  before  had  been  done.  This  master 
piece  of  mechanism  was  purchased  by  the  college 
of  New-Jersey.  A  second  was  made  by  him,  after 
the  same  model,  for  the  use  of  the  university  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  it  has  commanded  for  many 
years  the  admiration  of  the  ingenious  and  the 
learned. 

In  1770,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia.  His  first 
communication  to  the  philosophical  society  of  Phi 
ladelphia,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  was  a  calcu 
lation  of  the  transit  of  Venus,  June  3,  1769. 

This  phenomenon  had  never  been  seen  but  twice 
before  by  any  inhabitant  of  our  earth,  and  would 
never  be  seen  again  by  any  person  then  living.  On 
the  9th  of  November  following,  he  observed  the 
transit  of  Mercury.  An  account  of  these  observa 
tions  was  published  in  the  transactions  of  the  so 
ciety. 

In  1784,  he  assisted  in  determining  the  western 
limits  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  northern  line  of  the 
same  state  in  1786. 


270 

In  1787,  he  assisted  in  fixing  the  boundary  line 
between  Massachusetts  and  New- York. 

In  1791,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  philoso 
phical  society,  as  successor  to  Dr.  Franklin,  and 
was  annually  re-elected  till  his  death.  Soon  after 
he  accepted  the  chair  he  made  to  the  society  a  do 
nation  of  three  hundred  pounds. 

From  1777  to  1789,  he  held  the  office  of  trea 
surer  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  1792,  he  accepted  the  office  of  director  of  the 
mint  of  the  United  States,  but  his  ill  state  of  health 
induced  him  to  resign  it  in  1795. 

He  died  June  26,  1796,  in  the  full  belief  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  in  the  anticipation  of  clearer 
discoveries  of  the  perfections  of  God  in  the  eternal 
world.  He  was  a  man  of  extensive  knowledge, 
and  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the  French, 
German,  and  Dutch  languages.  His  mind  was  the 
repository  of  all  ages  and  countries. 

The  first  four  volumes  of  the  transactions  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  contain  all  of  his 
mathematical  and  astronomical  papers  which  have 
been  published. 


READ,  GEORGE,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  decla 
ration  of  independence,  was  born  in  Cecil  county, 
Maryland,  in  the  year  1734.  His  father  soon  after 
removed  to  Newcastle  county,  Delaware,  where  he 
settled.  He  received  his  education  under  the  care 
of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Allison,  and  at  the  age  of  seven 
teen,  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  city 
of  Philadelphia. 

In  the  year  1753,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 

In  1754,  he  settled  in  Newcastle,  Delaware,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  the  law. 

In  1763,  he  succeeded  John  Ross  as  attorney- 
general  of  the  state.  He  held  this  office  till  he 


was  elected  to  congress  in  1775,  when  he  resign 
ed  it. 

In  1765,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  assem 
bly  of  Delaware,  which  station  he  continued  to  oc 
cupy  for  twelve  years  in  succession. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  he  strenuously  sup 
ported  every  measure,  and  was  very  conspicuous, 
by  his  personal  exertions,  in  resisting  every  en 
croachment  of  British  tyranny. 

In  1774,  he  was  elected  by  the  general  assembly 
of  Delaware,  together  with  Caesar  Rodney  and 
Thomas  M'Kean,  Esqrs.  to  represent  the  state  in 
the  first  congress,  which  met  at  Philadelphia. 
From  this  period  he  continued  to  represent  the 
state  of  Delaware  in  congress  during  the  whole  of 
the  revolutionary  war. 

On  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  he  signed  the  declara 
tion  of  independence. 

In  September,  1776,  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  convention,  which  formed  the  first  constitution 
of  Delaware. 

In  1782,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  court  of  appeals,  in  admiralty  cases,  for  the 
state  of  Delaware. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention 
which  framed  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Read  continued  in  the  senate  of  the  United 
States  till  September,  1793,  when  he  was  appoint 
ed  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state 
of  Delaware.  He  performed  the  duties  of  this  of 
fice  with  great  ability  and  integrity,  till  the  autumn 
of  1798,  when  his  long  life  of  public  usefulness 
was  terminated  by  a  short  and  sudden  illness. 

In  his  person  he  was  above  the  middle  size, 
erect,  and  dignified  in  his  demeanour* 


RANDOLPH,  PEYTON,  first  president  of  congress, 
was  born  at  the  seat  of  his  ancestors,  Virginia, 
about  the  year  1723.  After  receiving  the  honours 
of  the  college  of  William  and  Mary,  he  was  sent  to 
England,  and  there  completed  his  legal  education. 

On  his  return  to  Virginia,  he  entered,  at  once, 
into  practice  in  the  general  court,  and  in  a  few 
years  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession. 

His  country  soon  appreciated  his  eminent  talents, 
and  when  not  more  than  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
he  was  appointed  king's  attorney-general  for  the 
colony.  He  was  in  the  same  year,  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  the  Virginia  legislature,  and  shortly  after, 
was  placed  at  th'e  head  of  the  committee  to  revise 
the  laws  of  the  colony. 

In  1764,  when  the  resolution  of  the  English  house 
of 'commons,  declaring  their  intention  of  imposing 
stamp  duties  upon  the  colonies,  was  received  in 
America,  he  was  a  member  of  the  house  of  bur 
gesses,  and  on  this  occasion  gave  new  proofs  of  his 
talents  and  patriotism. 

Virginia,  who  as  early  as  1651,  had,  with  arms  in 
her  hands,  stipulated  with  the  parliament  of  Great 
Britain  for  the  exclusive  right  of  laying  her  own 
taxes,  was  now  among  the  first  to  resist  this  new 
and  alarming  attempt  at  encroachment  upon  the 
liberties  of  the  people. 

The  house  of  burgesses  immediately  determin 
ed  to  send  an  address  against  it  to  the  king,  and 
he  was  appointed  to  draw  it  up;  and  is  a  paper 
written  in  a  plain,  but  vigorous  and  manly  style. 

In  1766,  he  was  appointed  speaker  of  the  house 
of  burgesses.  He  now  retired  altogether  from  the 
bar,  in  order  to  devote  himself  solely  to  his  duties 
as  a  legislator. 

Previous  to  the  year  1770,  the  English  govern 
ment  had  repealed  all  the  duties  which  they  had 
so  recently  laid,  except  that  on  the  single  article  of 
tea.  The  Virginia  legislature  again  displayed  their 
firmness,  by  an  explicit  declaration,  that  they  would 


iiot  import  goods  from  the  mother  country, 
this  duty  should  also  be  repealed. 

On  the  death  of  lord  Botetourt,  1772,  the  king 
appointed  lord  Dunmore  to  succeed  him  as  govern 
or.  In  May  following,  news  reached  Williams- 
burg,  that  parliament  had  passed  an  act  to  shut  up 
the  port  of  Boston.  The  house  of  burgesses,  then 
in  session,  remonstrated  at  this  tyrannical  proceed 
ing,  and  resolved  that  the  first  of  June,  the  day  on 
which  the  act  was  to  go  into  operation,  should  be 
set  apart  as  a  day  of  fasting  arid  prayer.  But  in 
the  midst  of  these  proceedings,  the  assembly  was 
abruptly  dissolved  by  order  of  the  new  governor. 
The  members,  however,  met  soon  after,  as  private 
citizens,  and  appointed  Mr.  Randolph  chairman. 
They  drew  up  an  address  to  their  fellow  citizens, 
declaring  the  late  attack  on  the  rights  of  the  sister 
colony,  menaced  ruin  to  the  rights  of  all.  A  com 
mittee  of  correspondence  was  appointed,  of  which 
he  was  one,  to  communicate  with  the  other  colo 
nies,  on  the  expediency  of  calling  a  general  con 
gress  of  delegates,  to  deliberate  on  the  united  in 
terests  of  America,  from  time  to  time,  as  occasion 
might  require. 

Agreeably  to  this  arrangement,  the  first  general 
congress  met  in  Philadelphia,  September  4,  1774, 
and  on  the  following  day,  he  was  called  by  the 
united  voice  of  its  members,  to  preside  over  their 
deliberations. 

In  1775,  he  was  again  chosen  its  president.  In 
a  few  days,  however,  after  the  meeting  of  congress, 
he  was  called  to  Virginia,  to  resume  his  situation 
as  speaker  of  the  house  of  burgesses,  which  had 
been  called  by  the  governor  to  consider  the  conci 
liatory  proposition  of  lord  North. 

In  a  few  weeks  after,  he  returned  to  congress 
and  again  took  his  seat,  and  was  one  of  its  most 
active  members.  He  was  not  destined,  however, 
to  witness  the  independence  of  the  country  he  had 
loved  and  served  so  faithfull. 


2/4 

He  died  at  Philadelphia  of  an  apoplectic  stroke 
October  22,  1775,  in  the  fifty-second  year  of  his 
age. 

As  a  politician,  he  was  firm  in  his  principles  and 
steady  in  his  opposition  to  foreign  usurpation. 

He  presided  with  uncommon  dignity ;  and  al 
though  not  eloquent,  yet  when  he  spoke  his  matter 
was  so  substantial,  that  no  man  commanded  more 
attention.  This,  joined  with  the  universal  know 
ledge  of  his  worth,  gave  him  a  weight  in  the  as 
sembly  of  Virginia,  which  few  ever  attained. 


RUTLEDGE,  JOHN,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  federal 
constitution,  took  an  early  and  distinguished  part 
in  support  of  the  liberties  of  his  country  at  the 
commencement  of  the  American  revolution.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  first  congress  which  met  at 
Philadelphia  in  1 774.  His  extraordinary  powers,  ex 
tensive  knowledge,  and  irresistible  eloquence,  can 
be  estimated  by  the  high  encomium  bestowed  on 
him  by  the  celebrated  Patrick  Henry,  of  Virginia, 
who  declared  that  in  the  first  congress,  when  there 
was  as  brilliant  a  display  of  talent  as  was  ever  ex 
hibited  in  a  collected  body  of  legislators,  "  that  he 
shone  with  superior  lustre.''  Being  asked  on  his 
return  to  his  native  state,  "what  had  been  done 
by  the  representatives  of  the  nation — what  kind  of 
men  composed  that  illustrious  body,  and  particu 
larly  whom  he  thought  the  greatest  man?"  he  re 
plied,  "if  you  speak  of  eloquence,  John  JKutledge, 
of  South  Carolina,  is  the  greatest  orator;  but  if 
you  speak  of  information  and  sound  judgment, 
colonel  Washington  is  unquestionably  the  greatest 
man  on  the  floor".  Of  his  decision  of  character 
there  can  exist  no  doubt. 

It  was  strongly  exemplified  at  the  very  com 
mencement  of  the  revolutionary  contest.     When 


the  vote  to  appoint  deputies  to  a  continental  con 
gress  was  carried  in  the  assembly  of  South  Caro 
lina,  propositions  were  immediately  introduced,  for 
instructing  the  delegates  to  what  point  it  was  ad 
missible  for  them  to  pledge  the  concurrence  of  the 
province  to  such  measures  as  might  be  proposed 
for  general  adoption. 

John  Rutledge,  with  great  ability  contended,  that 
unless  unshackled  by  restraint,  and  allowed  to  act 
at  discretion,  that  their  power  to  do  good  would  be 
inadequate  to  the  energies  which  the  crisis  de 
manded  ;  and  being  asked,  "  what  ought  we  to  do 
then  with  these  men  should  they  make  a  bad  use 
of  the  power  delegated  to  them]"  he  replied,  "hang 
them." 

When  the  temporary  constitution  of  South  Caro 
lina  was  established  in  March,  1776,  he  was  ap 
pointed  its  president,  and  cornmander-in-chief  of 
the  colony.  He  continued  in  this  station  till  the 
adoption  of  the  new  constitution  in  March,  1778, 
to  which  he  refused  to  give  his  assent.  He  was 
opposed  to  it,  because  it  annihilated  the  council, 
reducing  the  legislative  authority  from  three  to  two 
branches,  and  was  too  democratic  in  its  features. 

In  1779,  however,  he  was  chosen  governor,  with 
the  authority,  in  conjunction  with  the  council,  to  do 
whatever  the  public  safety  required.  He  soon  after 
took  the  field  at  the  head  of  the  militia.  His  zeal 
and  activity  never  knew  abatement.  His  decision 
in  refusing  to  sanction  the  abandonment  of  the  fort 
on  Sullivan's  Island,  on  the  approach  of  the  fleet  of 
Sir  Peter  Parker,  must  for  ever  redound  to  his 
honour,  as  the  resistance  of  the  intrepid  garrison 
completely  changed  the  plans  of  the  enemy,  and 
they  precipitately  withdrew  to  New- York. 

But  to  his  guidance  of  the  helm  of  government, 
during  the  most  calamitous  scenes  of  the  war  with 
in  the  state,  is  in  a  great  degree  to  be  attributed 
the  successes  ultimately  obtained  over  a  powerful 
and  triumphant  enemy.  He  at  a  very  early  period, 


perceived  the  superior  ability  of  general  Greene  to 
direct  every  military  operation,  and  with  indefati 
gable  industry,  seconded  his  views  with  all  the  in 
fluences  of  the  civil  authority.  So  mild  and  con 
ciliating  were  all  his  actions,  that  obedience  went 
hand  in  hand  with  command;  and  the  ardour  of 
zeal  seemed  rather  to  solicit  service  than  seek  the 
means  of  avoiding  it. 

This  eminent  patriot  and  able  statesman  died 
January  23,  1800. 


RUTLEDGE,  EDWARD,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  the  month  of 
November,  1749.  He  received  a  classical  educa 
tion,  and  at  an  early  period  commenced  the  study 
of  the  law  with  his  elder  brother. 

In  1769,  he  was  sent  to  England  to  complete  his 
legal  education,  and  was  entered  as  a  student  at 
the  Temple. 

In  1773,  he  returned  home,  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  his  native  state.  He  rose  rapid 
ly  to  professional  eminence;  and  as  an  exalted 
proof  of  the  general  esteem  in  which  he  was  held, 
he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  congress,  which  met 
at  Philadelphia  in  1774.  On  his  return  home,  he 
received  the  thanks  of  the  provincial  congress,  and 
was  again  appointed  a  member  of  the  next  con 
gress. 

Owing  to  the  secrecy  which  was  observed  by 
this  august  body,  it  is  impossible  to  say  what  part 
he  acted,  but  it  is  well  known  that  he  was  an  active 
and  efficient  member. 

In  the  congress  of  1776,  he  took  an  active  part 
in  the  discussions  which  preceded  the  declaration 
of  independence.  He  is  said  to  have  proposed 
some  alterations  to  the  original  report  of  this  cele- 


DAVID    RAMSAY  MD. 


brated  declaration,  to  which  he  afterwards  affixed 
his  name. 

He  was  again  appointed  to  congress  in  1779,  but 
sickness  prevented  his  attending. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  the  prac 
tice  of  his  profession,  as  well  as  devoted  a  greater 
part  of  seventeen  years  in  the  service  of  his  coun 
try,  arid  in  the  state  legislature. 

In  1798,  he  retired  from  the  profession  of  the 
law,  and  was  elected  governor  of  the  state ;  but  he 
lived  to  complete  only  half  the  term  for  which  he 
had  been  appointed.  He  bore  his  last  illness  with 
great  fortitude,  and  expired  January  £3,  1800. 

Mr.  Rutledge  possessed  eminent  virtues  both  as 
a  public  and  private  character.  His  manners  were 
the  most  affable,  his  temper  amiable,  and  his  dis 
position  benevolent. 

His  person  was  above  the  middle  size ;  his  com 
plexion  was  florid  and  fair,  and  with  an  unusual 
animation  of  countenance. 

As  an  orator  he  was  not  so  impetuous  and  com 
manding  as  his  brother  John  Rutledge,  but  pos 
sessed  more  of  the  Ciceronian  style.  There  was  a 
suavity  in  his  manner,  and  conciliating  attraction 
in  his  arguments,  that  had  frequently  the  effect  of 
subduing  the  prejudices  of  the  unfriendly,  and 
which  never  failed  to  increase  the  ardour  and  in 
flexibility  of  steady  friends.  The  eloquence  of  John 
Rutledge  was  as  a  rapid  torrent ;  that  of  Edward  as 
a  gentle  and  smoothly  gliding  stream;  the  first 
hurried  you  forward  to  the  point  it  aimed  at,  with 
powerful  impetuosity ;  the  last  conducted  to  it,  with 
fascinations  that  made  every  progressive  step  ap 
pear  enchanting. 


RAMSAY,  DAVID,  a  celebrated  historian,  was  born 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  2,  1749. 


278 

He  was  from  infancy  remarkable  for  his  attach 
ment  to  books,  and  for  the  rapid  progress  he  made 
in  acquiring  classical  literature. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  entered  Princeton,  and 
at  sixteen,  received  the  honours  of  that  celebrated 
seminary. 

He  afterwards  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
physic,  and  in  the  year  1773,  took  the  degree  of 
doctor  of  medicine.  He  then  removed  to  Charles 
ton,  South  Carolina,  and  rose  to  distinguished  emi 
nence  in  his  profession. 

During  our  revolutionary  struggle  he  was  a  de 
cided  and  active  friend  of  his  country,  and  was  one 
of  the  earliest  and  most  zealous  advocates  of  Ame 
rican  independence.  In  every  period  of  the  war 
he  wrote  and  spoke  boldly  and  constantly;  and  by 
his  personal  exertions  in  the  legislature,  and  in  the 
field,  was  very  serviceable  to  the  cause  of  Ameri 
can  liberty. 

In  1782,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general 
congress.  In  this  body  he  was  always  conspicuous, 
and  particularly  exerted  himself  in  procuring  relief 
for  the  southern  states,  at  that  time  overrun  by  the 
enemy. 

In  1785,  he  was  elected  president  of  that  august 
body,  and  continued  for  a  whole  year  to  discharge 
with  much  ability,  industry,  and  impartiality,  the 
important  duties  of  that  station. 

He  is,  however,  best  known  as  an  historian,  for 
which  he  was  well  qualified  by  profound  learning 
and  great  research. 

In  1785,  he  published  a  history  of  the  revolution 
in  South  Carolina,  in  two  volumes  octavo. 

In  the  latter  part  of  this  year,  he  was  again 
elected  a  member  of  congress,  and  finding  himself 
associated  with  many  of  the  most  distinguished 
heroes  and  statesmen  of  the  revolution,  and  having 
free  access  to  all  the  records  and  documents  that 
could  throw  light  on  the  late  war ;  he  began  to  col 
lect  materials  for  a  general  history  of  the  rovo- 


279 

lution.  He  also  conferred  with  Washington,  Frank 
lin,  and  others,  and  gained  from  them  much  valu 
able  information.  Thus  possessing  greater  advan 
tages  and  facilities  for  procuring  materials  than 
any  other  individual  of  the  United  States,  and  be 
ing  an  eye-witness  of  many  of  its  events,  and  a 
conspicuous  actor  in  its  busy  scenes,  he  complet 
ed  and  published  in  the  year  1790,  a  history  of 
the  revolution,  in  two  volumes  octavo,  which  was 
received  with  universal  approbation. 

In  1801,  he  gave  to  the  world  the  life  of  Wash 
ington,  which  is  considered  as  fine  a  piece  of  bio 
graphy  as  can  be  found  in  any  language. 

In  1808,  he  published  the  history  of  South  Caro 
lina,  in  two  volumes  octavo. 

He  afterwards  completed  a  history  of  the  United 
States  to  the  year  1808,  and  had  not  death  put  a 
termination  to  his  labours,  it  was  his  intention  to 
have  brought  it  down  to  the  end  of  the  late  war. 

This  work  has  since  been  brought  down  to  the 
treaty  of  Ghent  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  S.  S.  Smith,  late 
president  of  Princeton  college,  and  published. 

During  his  leisure  hours  for  the  last  forty  years 
of  his  life,  he  was  employed  in  preparing  for  the 
press  a  series  of  historical  volumes,  which,  since 
his  death,  have  been  published  in  nine  volumes 
octavo,  entitled,  "  Universal  History  American 
ised." 

He  died  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin,  May  8,  1812. 

As  an  historian,  he  is  every  where  to  be  found 
the  impartial  and  faithful  recorder — the  best  evi 
dence  of  which  is,  the  high  reputation  which  his 
histories  sustain  throughout  this  great  republic. 

Nor  is  his  fame  as  an  historian  confined  tp  Ame 
rica.  It  has  found  its  way  to  Europe,  where  he  is 
honoured  and  respected  as  the  Tacitus  of  Ame 
rica. 

His  style,  free  from  obscurity  or  laboured  orna 
ment,  is  distinguished  for  being  chaste  and  classi 
cal,  and  admirably  adapted  for  history. 


As  a,  husband,  father,  and  Christian,  lie  was  alike 
exemplary;  his  habits  were  those  of  the  strictest 
temperance.  He  usually  slept  four  hours,  rose 
before  the  light,  and  meditated  with  a  book  in  his 
hand,  until  he  could  see  to  read. 

He  was  parsimonious  of  his  time  to  the  highest 
degree.  He,  however,  never  read  by  the  light  of  a 
candle ;  with  the  first  shades  of  the  evening,  he 
laid  aside  his  book  and  his  pen — surrounded  by  his 
family  and  friends,  gave  loose  to  those  paternal 
and  social  feelings  which  ever  dwell  in  the  bosom 
of  a  good  man. 


REDMAN,  JOHN,  M.  D.  first  president  of  the  col 
lege  of  physicians  of  Philadelphia,  was  bom  in  that 
city,  February  27,  1722.  After  finishing  his  edu 
cation,  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine.  He 
afterwards  proceeded  to  Europe  and  attended  the 
school  at  Edinburgh.  From  thence  he  went  to 
Paris,  where  he  attended  the  lectures  of  that  cele 
brated  school,  and  at  length  graduated  at  Leyden. 
in  July,  1748. 

He  then  returned  to  London,  and  after  passing- 
some  time  at  Gray's  hospital,  he  returned  to  Ame 
rica,  and  settled  in  his  native  city,  where  he  soon 
gained  great  and  deserved  celebrity. 

In  the  evening  of  his  life  he  withdrew  from  the 
labours  of  his  profession;  but  it  was  only  to  en 
gage  in  business  of  another  kind. 

In  1784,  he  was  elected'  an  elder  of  the  second 
Presbyterian  church,  and  the  benevolent  duties  of 
this  office  employed  him  and  gave  him  delight. 

He  died  of  an  apoplexy,  March  19,  1808,  in  the 
eighty-seventh  year  of  his  age. 

As  a  physician  his  principles  were  derived  from 
the  writings  of  Boerhaave,  but  his  practice  was 
formed  by  the  rules  of  Sydenham.  He  considered 


281 

a  greater  force  of  medicine  necessary  to  cure  mo 
dern  American,  than  modern  British  diseases,  and 
hence  he  was  a  decided  friend  to  depletion  in  all 
the  virulent  diseases  of  our  country.  He  bled  free 
ly  in  the  yellow  fever  of  1762,  and  threw  the  whole 
weight  of  his  venerable  name  into  the  scale  of  the 
same  remedy  in  the  year  1793. 

In  the  diseases  of  old  age  he  considered  small 
and  frequent  bleedings  as  the  first  of  remedies. 
He  entertained  a  high  opinion  of  mercury,  in  all 
chronic  diseases.  He  introduced  the  use  of  tur- 
bith  mineral,  as  an  emetic,  in  the  gangrenous  sore 
throat  of  1764. 

Towards  the  close  of  his  life  he  read  the  latter 
medical  writers,  and  embraced  with  avidity  some  of 
the  modern  opinions  and  modes  of  practice.  As 
a  Christian,  he  was  eminent. 


SULLIVAN,  JOHN,  LL.  D.  a  major-general  in  the 
American  army,  and  president  of  New-Hampshire, 
is  entitled  to  honourable  distinction  among  the 
general  officers  of  the  American  republic. 

Before  the  revolution  he  had  attained  to  emi 
nence  in  the  profession  of  the  law  in  New-Hamp 
shire.  But  indulging  a  laudable  ambition  for  mi 
litary  glory,  he  relinquished  the  fairest  prospects 
of  fortune  and  fame,  and  on  the  commencement 
of  hostilities,  appeared  among  the  most  ardent 
patriots  and  intrepid  warriors.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  first  congress,  in  1774;  but  preferring  a  mi 
litary  commission,  he  was  in  1775  appointed  by 
congress  a  brigadier-general ;  and  in  the  following 
year  a  major-general.  He  superseded  Arnold  in 
the  command  of  the  army  in  Canada,  June  4,  1776, 
but  was  soon  driven  out  of  that  province. 

In  August  following,  he  took  command  of  a  di 
vision  of  the  army  in  the  battle  on  Long-Island, 
and  with  lord  Stirling  was  captured  by  the  British. 

In  September  he  was  exchanged ;  and  was  ap 
pointed  to  the  command  of  the  right  division  of  the 
troops,  in  the  famous  battle  at  Trenton,  and  acquit 
ted  himself  most  honourably  on  that  ever  memor 
able  day. 

In  the  battles  at  Brandywine  and  Germantown. 
in  the  autumn  of  1777,  he  commanded  a  division, 
in  which  he  displayed  his  skill  and  bravery. 

In  August,  1778,  he  was  the  sole  commander  of 
the  expedition,  which  laid  siege  to  Newport, 'then 
in  the  hands  of  the  British ;  but  being  abandoned 
by  the  French  fleet  under  D'Estaing,  who  sailed  to 
Boston,  he  was  obliged,  with  great  mortification  to 
himself,  to  raise  the  siege.  He  effected  his  retreat 
with  so  much  skill,  that  it  greatly  increased  his 
military  reputation  as  a  skilful  commander. 


In  the  summer  of  1779,  he  commanded  an  expe 
dition  against  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians,  in  New- 
York.  In  the  short  space  of  five  weeks,  during 
this  hazardous  expedition,  he  encountered  the  most 
complicated  obstacles ;  explored  an  extensive  tract 
of  country;  and  completely  dispersed  his  savage 
foes. 

At  the  close  of  this  campaign,  in  consequence  of 
impaired  health,  he  resigned  his  commission  in 
the  army ;  and  received  a  vote  of  thanks  from  con 


gress. 


After  his  resignation,  he  resumed  his  professional 
pursuits  at  the  bar,  and  was  much  distinguished  as 
a  statesman,  politician,  and  patriot.  He  received 
from  Cambridge  university,  the  honorary  degree  of 
master  of  arts,  and  from  the  university  of  Dart 
mouth,  the  honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  laws. 

In  the  years  1786-7,  and  9,  he  was  president  of 
New-Hampshire.     In  which  station  by  his  vigor 
ous  exertions  he  quelled  the  spirit  of  insurrection, 
which  exhibited  itself  at  the  time  of  the  troubles 
in  Massachusetts. 

In  October,  1789,  he  was  appointed  district 
judge,  in  which  office  he  continued  till  his  death, 
which  happened  January  23,  1795?  aged  fifty- four 
years. 


STOCKTON,  RICHARD,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  near  Prince 
ton,  New-Jersey,  on  the  1st  October,  1730.  He 
received  the  rudiments  of  classical  science  from 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  Finley,  at  West  Nottingham ; 
from  thence,  he  was  sent  to  the  college  of  New- 
Jersey,  where  he  graduated  in  1748.  Soon  after 
he  graduated,  he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
law,  under  the  direction  of  the  honourable  David 


284 

In  1754,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in  1758, 
to  the  grade  of  counsellor. 

In  1763,  he  received  the  degree  of  sergeant-at- 
law ;  and  was  at  that  time  unrivalled  at  the  bar.  In 
1766,  he  visited  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  and 
was  received  with  flattering  attention  by  the  most 
eminent  men  of  the  kingdom.  On  his  return  home 
he  was,  in  1774,  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  supreme  court.  On  the  21st  June,  1776,  the 
public  confidence  reposed  in  his  patriotism,  firm 
ness,  and  abilities,  by  the  provincial  congress  of 
New-Jersey,  was  manifested  by  electing  him  a 
member  of  the  general  congress,  then  sitting  in 
Philadelphia.  On  taking  his  seat  in  this  august 
assembly,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  debates, 
particularly  those  which  preceded  the  adoption  and 
signing  of  the  declaration  of  independence. 

During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1776,  he  de 
voted  the  whole  of  his  time  to  the  pressing  exigen 
cies  of  his  country. 

In  September,  he  was  deputed  by  congress  one 
of  the  committee  to  inspect  the  northern  army,  and 
to  report  on  its  state,  and  on  any  further  regula- 
lations  which  they  might  think  necessary  for  its 
better  government  and  supply.  This  service  hav 
ing  been  discharged,  he  again  resumed  his  seat  in 
congress. 

On  the  30th  November  following,  he  was,  to 
gether  with  his  friend  and  compatriot,  John  Coven- 
hoven,  Esq.  at  whose  house  he  resided,  unfortu 
nately  captured  by  a  party  of  refugee  royalists,  and 
after  having  suffered  in  the  most  cruel  manner, 
was  thrown  into  the  common  prison  in  New-York, 
and  treated  with  unusual  severity.  Congress,  im 
mediately  on  learning  his  capture  and  imprison 
ment,  interposed  and  procured  his  release.  His 
constitution,  however,  was  so  materially  impaired 
by  his  sufferings,  that  he  was  never  again  able,  ex 
cept  by  counsel  and  advice,  to  render  any  impor* 
tant  services  to  his  country. 


285 

He  died  on  the  28th  February,  1781,  at  his  resi 
dence,  near  Princeton,  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  his 
age. 

In  his  private  life  he  was  easy  and  graceful  -,  in 
his  manners,  and  in  his  conversation  affable  and 
entertaining.  As  a  man  of  letters,  he  possessed  a 
superior  genius,  highly  cultivated  by  a  long  and  as 
siduous  application.  His  researches  into  the  prin 
ciples  of  morals  and  religion  were  deep  and  accu 
rate,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  laws  of  his  country 
extensive  and  profound. 

In  the  councils  of  his  country  he  was  wise  and 
firm,  but  always  prudent  and  moderate. 

To  his  superior  powers  of  mind  and  professional 
learning ;  he  united  a  flowing  and  persuasive  elo 
quence,  and  he  was  a  Christian,  who  was  an  ho 
nour  to  the  church. 


SHERMAN,  ROGER,  a  distinguished  patriot,  and 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  indepen 
dence,  was  born  at  Newton,  Massachusetts,  on  the 
19th  April,  1721.  He  received  no  other  than  a 
country  school  education,  and  his  future  attain 
ments  in  general  science  were  owing  solely  to  his 
indefatigable  exertions  in  the  pursuit  of  it. 

In  1743,  he  removed  to  New-Milford,  in  Litch- 
field  county,  Connecticut.  He  there  commenced 
business  as  a  country  merchant,  in  conjunction  with 
his  elder  brother,  which  he  continued  till  after  his 
admission  to  the  bar  in  1754. 

At  the  age  of  thirty-three,  he  was  elected  a  mem 
ber  of  the  legislature  of  Connecticut,  and  from  this 
period  we  may  date  the  commencement  of  his  pub 
lic  career. 

In  1759,  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas  for  the  county. 


In  1761,  he  removed  from  New-Milford,  and  set 
tled  ip  New-Haven,  and  frequently  represented  this 
town  in  the  legislature. 

In  1765,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  court  of  common  pleas,  and  was  for  many  years 
the  treasurer  of  the  college  in  New-Haven.  He 
received  at  that  time  also  the  honorary  degree  of 
master  of  arts. 

On  passing  of  the  stamp  act  in  1765,  Mr.  Sher 
man,  who  had  not,  heretofore,  been  a  silent  spectator 
of  the  arbitrary  measures  of  Great  Britain,  now 
zealously  opposed  these  exactions,  and  co-operated 
with  his  fellow  members  in  the  general  opposition 
to  parliamentary  supremacy. 

He  was  one  of  the  few,  who,  from  the  commence 
ment  of  hostilities,  foresaw  the  necessity  of  our  en 
tire  union  and  complete  independence,  and  urged 
with  energy  the  boldest  and  most  decisive  mea 
sures.  The  revolutionary  war  was  a  contest  of 
principles. 

When  the  period  arrived  at  which  it  was  neces 
sary  either  tamely  to  submit  to  the  domination  of 
the  parliament,  surrender  our  property  to  its  dis 
posal,  and  sink  to  the  degradation  of  a  people  con 
quered  and  enslaved,  or  boldly  assert  our  rights 
and  defend  our  liberties  by  the  sword,  he  did  not 
hesitate  in  choosing  the  alternative.  He  was  ac 
cordingly  nominated  as  one  of  the  committee  to 
attend  the  general  congress  of  the  colonies  at  Phi 
ladelphia.  He  was  present  at  the  opening  of  the 
first  congress  in  1774,  and  it  is  worthy  of  record, 
that  he  continued  a  member  of  congress  until  his 
death  in  1793.  In  this  assemblage  of  eminent 
characters,  there  was  no  one  whose  judgment  was 
more  respected,  or  whose  opinions  were  more  in 
fluential. 

The  boldness  of  his  counsels,  the  decisive  weight 
of  his  character,  the  steadiness  of  his  principles, 
the  inflexibility  of  his  patriotism,  his  venerable  ap 
pearance,  and  his  republican  manners,  presented 


287 

to  the  imagination  the  idea  of  a  Roman  senator,  in 
the  early  and  most  exemplary  days  of  the  com 
monwealth. 

In  the  business  of  committees,  he  was  certainly 
one  of  the  most  serviceable  and  indefatigable 
members  of  that  body.  Hence  in  this  department 
he  was  always  called  upon  to  officiate. 

In  May,  1775,  he  again  took  his  seat  in  congress. 
During  this  session,  the  duties  of  congress  were 
extremely  arduous;  and  we  cannot  revert,  without 
deep  emotions  of  gratitude  and  admiration,  to  the 
dignity  and  deliberative  firmness  of  the  assembled 
sages,  who  in  that  day  of  peril  stood  firm  and  fear 
less  in  defence  of  their  liberties,  and  boldly  breast 
ed  a  shock  which  might  have  appalled  the  most  re 
solute  and  daring.  The  matters  which  required 
their  guidance  and  consideration  ;  the  dangerous 
measures  which  it  was  necessary  to  adopt;  and  the 
difficulties  to  be  diverted  and  surmounted,  were 
numerous  and  embarrassing. 

During  the  session  of  1776,  he  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  principal  committees  for  the  safety 
and  well-being  of  the  colonies. 

On  the  llth  June,  1776,  the  high  confidence 
placed  in  the  abilities  of  Mr.  Sherman,  was  again 
amply  portrayed  by  his  appointment,  in  conjunc 
tion  with  that  brilliant  constellation  of  talents  and 
patriotism,  Adams,  Jefferson,  Franklin,  and  Liv 
ingston,  to  prepare  the  declaration  of  indepen 
dence,  to  which  he  afterwards  affixed  his  name. 

He  was  also  successively  a  member  of  the  board 
of  war,  of  the  marine  committee,  and  of  the  board 
of  treasury. 

In  1783,  Mr.  Sherman  and  the  honourable  Ri 
chard  Law  were  appointed  to  review  the  statutes 
of  Connecticut. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed,  in  conjunction  with 
Messrs.  Ellsworth  and  Johnson,  a  delegate  to  the 
general  convention  to  form  the  federal  constitution 
of  the  United  States, 


288 

The  inefticacy  of  the  old  confederation  for  the 
preservation  of  public  peace,  became  palpable  soon 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  The  powers  vested  in 
the  several  states  were  too  great  to  afford  any  pros 
pect  of  permanent  union,  and  it  was  only  by  the 
formation  of  the  supreme  head,  to  direct  the  clash 
ing  measures,  guard  the  opposing  interests,  and 
coerce  the  ill-advised  and  dangerous  views  of  the 
several  subordinate  governments,  that  the  indepen 
dence  and  tranquillity  which  had  succeeded  one 
of  the  noblest  efforts  recorded  in  the  political  his 
tory  of  the  world,  could  be  preserved. 

He  contributed  with  his  usual  ability  and  perse 
verance,  to  reconcile  the  conflicting  interests  and 
opinions  of  the  delegates,  and  perfect  that  towering 
monument  of  political  wisdom,  which  is  without  a 
rival  in  the  history  of  nations. 

After  the  ratification  and  adoption  of  the  federal 
constitution,  he  was  elected  a  representative  of  the 
state  in  congress.  Previous,  however,  to  his  tak 
ing  the  oath  required  by  the  constitution,  he  resign 
ed  the  office  of  judge  of  the  superior  court,  which 
he  had  held  with  unblemished  reputation  for  twen 
ty-three  years. 

At  the  expiration  of  two  years,  he  was  elected  to 
the  senate,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  proceed 
ings  of  that  body.  He  continued  to  fill  this  ele 
vated  station,  and  scrupulously  devoted  his  time 
and  his  talents  in  the  service  of  his  country,  till 
the  23rd  July,  1793,  when  this  great  and  good  man 
was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  after  a  long  life  of 
virtue  and  usefulness. 


SMITH,  SAMUEL  STANHOPE,  DD.  LL.  D.  presi 
dent  of  Princeton  college,  was  born  at  Pequea,  in 
the  township  of  Salisbury,  Lancaster,  Pennsylva 
nia,  on  the  16th  day  of  March,  1750. 


At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  entered  Princeton  col 
lege,  and  in  the  year  1769,  took  his  first  degree. 
He  returned  to  his  father's  family,  and  applied  him 
self  to  extending  his  acquaintance  with  science  and 
literature,  by  the  perusal  of  the  best  writers  with 
which  the  library  of  the  family  supplied  him. 

In  cultivating  the  more  elegant  fields  of  the 
belles  lettres,  he  seemed,  however,  to  have  taken 
the  greatest  pleasure,  and  to  this  species  of  exer 
tion  his  intellectual  powers  appear  to  have  been 
best  adapted  by  nature. 

During  his  continuance  at  Princeton  as  a  stu 
dent,  his  talents  and  assiduity  did  not  pass  unno 
ticed  by  that  able  divine  and  nice  observer  of  men 
and  things,  Dr.  Witherspoon ;  and,  accordingly,  a 
vacancy  occurring  in  the  offices  of  the  college,  he 
received  from  him  a  pressing  invitation  to  return 
to  the  institution,  to  take  under  his  charge  the  clas 
sical  studies  of  the  college,  while  he  should  assist 
also  in  cultivating  among  the  students  a  taste  for 
the  belles  lettres. 

In  this  station  he  spent  the  two  next  years  of  his 
life,  performing,  with  acknowledged  ability,  the 
duties  of  his  office  in  the  institution,  and  at  the 
same  time  prosecuting  his  theological  studies,  as 
he  had  now  determined,  as  well  from  the  dictates 
of  his  understanding  as  the  impulse  of  his  feelings, 
to  devote  himself  to  the  church.  As  soon  as  he 
had  finished  the  usual  course  of  reading  prescribed 
to  students  of  divinity,  he  left  Princeton,  and  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  presbytery  of 
New-Castle,  in  Pennsylvania. 

Soon  after  he  voluntarily  offered  to  officiate  as  a 
missionary,  and  commenced  his  labours  in  the 
western  counties  of  Virginia. 

Having  a  mind  already  imbued  with  elegant  lite 
rature,  and  a  taste  improved  by  familiarity  with  the 
finest  models  of  writing  in  the  Latin,  Greek,  Eng 
lish,  and  French  languages,  and  withal  a  genius 
that  kindled  into  enthusiasm  at  the  success  of  those 


290 

celebrated  preachers,  whose  praises  and  whose  tri 
umphs  of  eloquence  he  had  seen  recorded  in  eccle 
siastical  history ;  and  above  all,  a  heart  deeply 
touched  and  interested  with  the  great  truths  which 
it  was  his  province  to  proclaim ;  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel  were  presented  to  his  hearers  in  a  more 
attractive  form  than  they  had  ever  before  been  able 
to  conceive.  In  him  they  found  solid  sense  and 
deep  learning,  recommending  by  their  embellish 
ments  the  simple  and  sublime  truths  of  religion, 
and  the  influence  of  the  whole  augmented  by  all  the 
graces  of  style,  composition,  and  delivery. 

His  labours  were  consequently  attended  with  the 
happiest  effects.  So  strong  at  length,  did  the  pub- 
lie  sentiment  in  his  favour  become,  that  some  gen 
tlemen  of  wealth  and  influence  resolved  upon  erect 
ing  a  college,  of  which  it  was  contemplated  that 
he  should  become  the  president.  No  sooner  was 
the  plan  projected,  and  the  subscription  list  filled 
up,  than  they  erected  the  buildings  of  the  institu 
tion,  which  is  now  called  Hamden  Sydney  col 
lege. 

Having  now  completed  his  missionary  tour,  he 
returned  to  Princeton,  and  married  the  daughter  of 
its  venerable  president.  Soon  after  this  event  he 
returned  to  Virginia,  to  take  upon  him  the  two 
fold  charge  of  principal  of  the  seminary  and  pastor 
of  the  church.  In  both  of  these  capacities  he  ac 
quitted  himself  with  the  greatest  talents  and  ad 
dress.  His  reputation  both  as  a  pious  and  learned 
divine,  and  an  eloquent  and  successful  preacher, 
every  day  increased;  and  the  attachment  of  his 
flock,  and  the  students  of  the  college  to  his  person, 
was  sincere  and  unabated  during  the  whole  time  of 
his  residence  among  them. 

In  the  year  1779,  through  the  solicitation  of  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  he  accepted  the  appointment  of  pro 
fessor  of  moral  philosophy  in  Princeton  college; 
leaving  his  brother,  the  Rev.  John  Smith,  in  whom 


he  reposed  entire  confidence, to  take  charge  of  the 
infant  college  reared  under  his  care  in  Virginia. 

He  then  repaired  to  the  seat  of  his  future  useful 
ness  and  celebrity,  and  commenced  his  labours, 
first  in  superintending  the  fitting  up  the  college 
which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  British  army, 
(who  had  occupied  it  as  a  barrack  during  their 
passing  and  repassing  through  the  state  of  New- 
Jersey,)  and  afterwards  in  discharging  the  duties 
of  his  office.  The  great  interests  of  the  American 
nation  which  were  at  this  time  pending,  requiring 
the  collective  wisdom  of  her  citizens  to  be  brought 
into  action  for  her  welfare,  Dr.  Witherspoon,  whose 
integrity,  capacity,  and  attachment  to  the  cause  of 
patriotism  had  been  sufficiently  evinced  during  the 
war,  was  chosen  by  the  state  of  New-Jersey  to  re 
present  her  in  congress.  For  several  years  he 
continued  to  perform  his  duty  in  congress,  while  he 
still  held  the  presidency  of  the  college,  and  during 
the  time  of  his  absence  from  that  institution,  the 
whole  weight  of  his  cares  now  necessarily  devolved 
upon  Mr.  Smith.  Nothing,  however,  could  over 
come  his  firmness  and  perseverance.  He  had  from 
the  commencement  been  the  chief  instrument  in 
reviving  the  institution,  and  he  was  resolved  to  per 
sist  through  all  difficulties  and  discouragements  to 
the  accomplishment  of  his  object. 

The  superiority  of  his  talents  and  the  high  re 
spect  which  the  students  could  not  fail  to  enter 
tain  for  him,  enabled  him  to  fill  the  two-fold  office 
of  president  and  professor. 

At  the  close  of  the  revolution,  at  the  request  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  Dr.  Witherspoon  visited 
England,  to  collect  funds  in  aid  of  the  college. 
Soon  after  his  return  that  venerable  man  was  af 
flicted  with  total  blindness,  and  many  infirmities 
which  almost  deprived  him  of  power  to  attend  to 
his  duties,  so  that  finally  the  whole  weight  and 
responsibility  of  the  president's  office  devolved 
upon  him,  Like  all  men  of  real  talent,  his  powers 


only  became  more  conspicuous,  as  they  were  called 
into  more  vigorous  exertion.  The  trustees  of  the 
college  becoming  every  day  more  sensible  of  his 
capacity  and  distinguished  usefulness,  added  to  his 
titles  and  dignities  in  the  institution,  besides  the 
one  of  professor  of  moral  philosophy,  those  of  pro 
fessor  of  theology  and  vice-president  of  the  col 
lege. 

In  1785,  he  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of 
the  American  Philosophical  Society  in  Philadel 
phia;  and  was  the  same  year  appointed  by  that 
learned  body  to  deliver  their  anniversary  address. 
On  this  occasion  it  was,  that  he  chose  for  his  sub 
ject  to  explain  the  causes  of  the  variety  in  the 
figure  and  complexion  of  the  human  species,  and 
establish  the  identity  of  the  race.  This  masterly 
treatise  was  published  in  the  transactions  of  the 
society,  and  obtained  for  its  author  deserved  repu 
tation  as  a  philosopher  both  in  his  own  and  foreign 
countries. 

In  the  year  following  the  publication  of  this 
work  he  received  the  degree  of  doctor  in  divinity 
from  Yale  college  ;  and  some  years  after  the  degree 
of  doctor  of  laws  from  Cambridge  university. 

In  the  year  1786,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the 
committee,  who  were  directed  to  draw  up  a  system 
of  government  for  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Ame 
rica.  In  pursuance  of  this  appointment  was  pre 
pared  and  digested  that  judicious  and  excellent 
form  of  presbyterial  government  by  general  assem 
blies,  synods,  and  presbytery,  which  prevails  at  this 
time. 

In  1794,  Dr.  Witherspoon  finished  his  earthly 
course,  and  in  the  following  spring,  Dr.  Smith  was 
appointed  his  successor,  and  entered  upon  the  dig 
nity  of  that  office,  the  duties  of  which  he  had  long 
before  fulfilled.  His  talents,  like  all  those  which 
are  genuine,  shone  more  brightly  in  proportion  to 
the  elevation  to  which  he  was  raised.  The  dignity 
of  manners,  mingled  with  a  respectful  attention  to 


their  feelings,  which,  on  all  occasions,  he  discover 
ed  in  his  deportment  towards  those  students  who 
devoted  themselves  to  their  duty,  and  were  obe 
dient  to  the  laws;  the  clearness,  comprehension, 
and  force  of  style  which  he  displayed  as  an  in- 
structer  to  his  class ;  the  manly  and  impressive  elo 
quence  which  he  exhibited  on  all  occasions  when 
he  appeared  in  the  pulpit,  rendered  him  the  pride 
and  ornament  of  the  institution.  About  this  time 
he  published  one  volume  of  sermons,  which  was 
well  received  both  in  his  own  and  foreign  coun 
tries. 

In  the  year  1812,  his  infirmities  had  so  rapidly 
increased,  he  found  himself  unable  to  attend  to  his 
duties  in  college,  and  at  the  next  commencement 
resigned  his  presidency.  From  this  period,  al 
though  only  in  his  sixty-second  year,  the  paralytic 
strokes  with  which  he  had  been  visited,  had  so  far 
weakened  his  constitution,  as  to  render  him  utter 
ly  incapable  of  his  ordinary  exertions  of  body  or 
mind.  Even  in  this  enfeebled  state,  however,  his 
natural  ardour  and  activity  in  the  prosecution  of 
learning  still  continued.  He  now  spent  a  portion 
of  his  time  in  correcting  his  works,  and  preparing 
for  the  press,  that  system  of  moral  philosophy, 
which  for  more  than  twenty  years  he  had  delivered 
to  the  classes,  and  which  is  now  ranked  among  the 
best  works  extant. 

In  the  spring  of  1819,  his  strength  visibly  failed. 
The  prospect  of  a  speedy  dissolution  he  now  sur 
veyed  as  inevitable ;  and  with  a  mind  conscious  of 
the  most  unsullied  purity  and  uprightness  of  in 
tention,  he  seemed  to  await,  in  unruffled  tranquil 
lity,  the  summons  of  his  heavenly  Father,  that 
should  transport  him  to  a  better  world.  He  ap 
peared  in  the  language  of  the  poet : 

To  walk  thoughtful  on  the  silent,  solemn  shore, 
Of  that  vast  ocean  he  must  sail  so  soon. 

On  the  21st  August,  1819,  without  a  struggle, 
and  conversing  with  his  family  to  the  last,  and 


exhibiting  entire  composure  and  resignation,  did 
this  eminent  man  leave  his  transitory  abode  on 
earth,  for  one  eternal  in  the  heavens. 

Dr.  Smith  as  a  philosopher,  has  high  claims  and 
does  honour  to  his  country.  His  work  on  moral 
philosophy  is  among  the  first  and  best  productions 
of  its  kind  in  the  possession  of  the  literary  world, 
and  is  liable  to  fewer  objections  than  any  other. 
The  work,  however,  upon  which,  if  he  had  written 
no  other,  he  might  found  a  high  and  well  merited 
reputation  as  a  philosopher,  is  that  upon  the  variety 
of  figure  and  complexion  in  the  human  species, 
which  is  among  the  first  and  best  of  his  produc 
tions.  It  is  indisputably  a  master-piece  of  philo 
sophical  writing,  and  such  as  would  have  done  ho 
nour  to  any  man  that  ever  lived.  His  object  in 
this  treatise  is  to  show  that  all  that  great  variety 
exhibited  among  our  race  in  their  stature,  com 
plexion,  and  figure,  may  be  explained  from  the 
united  action  of  climate,  the  state  of  society,  and 
manner  of  living.  As  a  writer,  he  is  entitled  to  a 
very  distinguished  rank.  He  had  a  mind  which 
was  capable  of  comprehending  the  abstruse  and 
penetrating  into  the  profound,  but  which  following 
its  natural  impulses,  chose  rather  to  devote  himself 
to  the  acquisition  of  what  is  elegant  and  agreeable 
in  science  and  literature.  He  was  versed  in  the 
Latin,  Greek,  French,  and  Hebrew  languages ;  and 
his  style  of  writing  is  remarkably  perspicuous,  full, 
flowing,  polished,  and  elegant. 

In  all  his  works  we  discover  great  justness  and 
profoundness  of  observation,  extensive  acquaint 
ance  with  science  and  literature,  together  with  a 
liberal  and  philosophical  cast  of  thinking.  His 
principles  of  natural  and  revealed  religion,  ser 
mons,  and  his  lectures  upon  the  evidences  of 
Christianity,  are  works  which  comprise  within  a 
small  compass,  a  great  variety  of  theological  learn 
ing  and  useful  and  interesting  disquisition,  ex 
pressed  in  a  language  at  once  neat  and  elegant. 


while  his  doctrines  are  recommended  by  profound 
reflections  and  happy  illustrations.  As  a  pulpit 
orator  he  would  have  done  honour  to  any  age  or 
nation.  There  was  a  dignity,  and  even  majesty,  in 
his  person  and  appearance  in  the  pulpit,  as  well 
as  in  his  conceptions  and  style  of  speaking,  which 
excited  involuntary  respect,  and  commanded  the 
most  unremitted  attention.  Adorned  by  his  genius, 
the  pulpit  was  converted  into  a  fountain  at  once  of 
light  to  illuminate  the  understanding  of  his  hearers, 
and  of  heat,  to  warm  and  fructify  their  hearts.  His 
voice  was  clear,  full,  and  harmonious,  and  when  he 
was  more  than  usually  excited  by  passion,  every 
feature  spoke,  and  that  fine  expressive  eye  which 
nature  had  given  him,  became  lighted  up  with  a 
fire  which  penetrated  every  heart. 


SHIPPEN,  WILLIAM,  M.  D.  F.  R.  S.  a  learned 
physician  and  anatomist,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  about  the  year  1736.  Soon  after  re 
ceiving  the  honours  of  Princeton  college,  he  com 
menced  the  study  of  medicine,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one,  he  embarked  for  Europe,  and  prose 
cuted  his  studies  with  the  celebrated  John  Hunter. 
He  afterwards  went  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  pub 
lished  his  thesis,  De  placenta^  cum  utero  nexu, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medi 
cine.  He  then  visited  France,  and  returned  home 
in  1762,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  midwifery, 
and  teaching  of  anatomy  by  dissection. 

On  the  establishment  of  the  medical  school  in 
Philadelphia,  he  was  unanimously  called, to  fill  the 
professorship  of  anatomy  and  surgery  in  that  insti 
tution. 

About  this  period,  he  was  very  active  in  forming 
the  American  Philosophical  Society,  and  during  the 


296 

revolutionary  war  he  took  charge  of  all  the  journals 
and  original  papers. 

In  1776,  he  was  appointed  director-general  of 
the  medical  department  of  the  American  army.  In 
1781,  he  resigned  this  office  to  resume  his  former 
pursuits. 

In  the  year  1798,  he  was  bereaved  of  an  only  son, 
which  so  afflicted  him  for  several  years,  that  he 
seldom  attended  to  his  duties ;  and  the  only  studies 
which  he  afterwards  pursued  were  of  a  religious 
nature. 

In  the  year  1805,  his  spirits  appeared  again  to 
revive,  and  in  the  winter  of  1807,  he  delivered  the 
introductory  lecture,  though  very  infirm,  and  dur 
ing  the  same  course,  he  also  lectured  on  midwifery. 
He  afterwards  removed  to  Germantown.  He  died 
July  11,  1808. 


STODDARD,  SOLOMON,  pastor  of  the  church  of 
Northampton,  Massachusetts,  has  always  been  con 
sidered  as  one  of  the  greatest  divines  of  New-Eng 
land.  He  was  born  in  Boston,  in  1643;  and  was 
graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1662.  He  was 
afterwards  appointed  a  fellow.  His  health  having 
been  impaired  by  a  close  application  to  his  stu 
dies,  he  went  to  Barbadoes,  as  chaplain  to  governor 
Serle,  and  preached  with  great  acceptance  to  the 
dissenters  on  that  island  near  two  years.  After 
his  return,  being  ordained  September  11,  1672,  as 
successor  to  Mr.  Mather,  at  Northampton,  he  con 
tinued  in  that  place  till  his  death,  February  11, 
1729,  in  the  eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age.  His  col 
league,  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  survived  him. 

Mr.  Stoddard  was  a  learned  man,  well  versed  in 
religious  controversies,  and  himself  an  acute  dis 
putant. 


As  a  preacher,  his  discourses  were  plain> 
mental,  searching,  and  argumentative.  He  was 
strictly  Calvinistical  in  his  opinions  upon  doctrinal 
points,  but  more  liberal  than  other  divines  of  this 
country  upon  points  of  church  discipline  and 
government. 

His  works  are  numerous,  .and  many  of  them 
have  passed  through  several  editions. 

His  work,  entitled  "The  Safety  of  appearing 
at  the  Judgment  in  the  Righteousness  of  Christ," 
was  re-published  at  Edinburgh,  8vo.  1792,  with  a 
recommendatory  preface  by  Dr.  Erskine. 


STILES,  EZRA,  DD.  president  of  Yale  college, 
was  born  December  15,  1727.  He  entered  Yale 
college  in  1742,  and  was  distinguished  among  the 
students  for  his  bright  genius,  his  intellectual  ac 
complishments,  his  moral  virtues,  and  the  suavity 
of  his  manners. 

In  1746,  he  graduated,  and  was  esteemed  one  of 
the  greatest  scholars  it  had  ever  produced.  He 
first  commenced  his  course  of  life  with  the  study 
and  practice  of  the  law :  he  afterwards  thought  it 
his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel ;  and  settled  at  New 
port,  as  pastor  of  the  second  congregational 
church,  where  he  continued  from  1755,  to  the  year 
1776. 

In  1778,  he  was  chosen  president  of  Yale  col 
lege,  and  continued  in  this  station  till  his  death, 
May  12,  1795,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Dr.  Stiles  was  one  of  the  most  learned  men  of 
whom  this  country  can  boast.  He  had  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  French,  Latin, 
Samaritan,  Chaldee,  Syriac,  and  Arabic,  and  had 
made  some  considerable  progress  in  the  Coptic 
and  Persic  languages. 

38 


298 

Next  to  sacred  literature,  mathematical  and  as 
tronomical  science  were  his  favourite  studies.  He 
had  read  the  works  of  divines  in  various  languages, 
and  was  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  fathers  of 
the  Christian  church.  He  also  possessed  an  inti 
mate  acquaintance  with  the  rabbinical  writings. 

As  a  preacher,  he  was  most  impressive  and  elo 
quent,  and  spoke  with  energy  and  zeal.  His  early 
discourses  were  philosophical  and  moral ;  but  he 
gradually  became  a  serious  and  powerful  preacher 
of  the  momentous  truths  of  the  gospel. 

Dr.  Stiles  had  every  literary  honour  which  his 
country  could  bestow  upon  him ;  was  a  member  of 
many  learned  societies  abroad,  and  was  the  inti 
mate  friend  and  correspondent  of  the  first  charac 
ters  in  Europe  and  America. 

His  publications  are  not  numerous.  They  are 
known  in  the  learned  world,  and  consist  of  philoso 
phical  essays,  historical  narratives,  sermons,  and 
theological  tracts.  He  left  an  unfinished  ecclesias 
tical  history  of  New-England,  and  more  than  forty 
volumes  in  manuscripts. 

An  account  of  his  life  and  writings  have  been 
published  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Holmes. 


SULLIVAN,  JAMES,  a  distinguished  civilian,  was 
born  at  Berwick,  Maine,  April  22,  1744. 

He  was  carefully  educated  by  his  father,  and  at  a 
seasonable  age  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
law.  In  the  study  and  practice  of  the  law  at  that 
period,  there  were  difficulties  which  must  have  se 
verely  tried  the  fortitude  of  a  beginner.  The  ele 
ments  were  in  no  fairer  shape  than  Woods'  Insti 
tutes,  and  Coke's  Commentary  on  Littleton.  The 
wheat  was  hid  in  the  chaff.  There  were  then  no 
reports  and  no  books  of  forms,  such  as  we  now 
have;  yet  so  rapid  was  his  rise,  that  before  the 


299 

revolution,  he  was  rankod  with  the  most  eminent 
of  his  profession. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress,  and 
while  he  belonged  to  that  body  in  1775,  was  sent 
on  a  difficult  mission  to  Ticonderoga,  for  which  he 
received  a  vote  of  thanks. 

In  1776,  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  supe 
rior  court,  with  John  Adams,  William  Gushing,  and 
others.  He  afterwards  assisted  as  a  member  of 
the  convention,  to  form  the  state  constitution,  and 
continued  a  judge  of  the  supreme  judicial  court  un 
til  February,  1782,  when  he  resigned  and  returned 
to  the  practice  of  the  law.  In  1783,  he  represent 
ed  Massachusetts  in  congress ;  and  in  the  ensuing 
year  acted  as  one  of  the  commissioners  in  the  set 
tlement  of  the  controversy  then  existing  between 
the  states  of  Massachusetts  and  New-York,  con 
cerning  their  respective  claims  to  the  Western 
lands. 

He  was  repeatedly  chosen  to  represent  the  town 
of  Boston  in  the  legislature;  in  1787,  was  a  mem 
ber  of  the  executive  council ;  the  same  year  was 
made  judge  of  probate  for  the  county  of  Suffolk, 
and  in  1790,  attorney-general. 

In  1796,  he  was  appointed  by  president  Wash 
ington,  a  commissioner  under  the  fifth  article  of  the 
British  treaty,  for  settling  the  boundaries  between 
the  United  States  and  the  British  provinces. 

In  June^  1807,  he  was  called  to  the  chief  magis 
tracy  of  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  and 
while  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  that  high 
station,  he  was  called  to  pay  the  debt  of  nature 
October  17,  1808. 

In  his  person  he  was  commanding,  and  of  very 
dignified  manners.  His  features  were  remarkably 
fine,  and  the  expression  intelligent  and  placid. 

As  a  civilian,  he  sustained  the  first  rank.  He  was 
as  well  versed  in  special  pleading  and  all  the  forms 
of  practice,  as  in  the  science  of  the  law.  The 
great  traits  of  his  mind  were  force,  comprehensive- 


300 

ness,  and  ardour.  Nothing  of  consequence  in  any 
cause  escaped  the  fullness  and  intensity  of  his 
thoughts.  His  arguments  were  clear,  close,  and 
strong,  not  calculated  so  much  for  parade  as  to 
secure  conviction.  In  his  administration  he  was 
wise,  upright,  and  impartial.  Political  and  profes 
sional  pursuits  did  not  wholly  engross  his  care. 
Letters  and  science  received  his  aid  and  encourage 
ment.  He  was  one  of  the  first  members  of  the 
American  academy  of  arts  and  sciences;  one  of 
the  founders,  and  many  years  president  of  the  Mas 
sachusetts  historical  society. 

As  a  writer,  he  published  the  History  of  Land 
Titles  in  Massachusetts;  the  History  of  the  Dis 
trict  of  Maine ;  a  Treatise  on  the  Constitutional  Li 
berty  of  the  Press ;  History  of  the  Penobscot  In 
dians,  &c.  Every  one  of  his  works  glows  with  the 
fervour  of  true  patriotism  and  benevolence,  and  in 
point  of  style  are  neat  and  finished  performances, 


STARK,  JOHN,  a  brigadier-general  in  the  Ameri 
can  arrny  during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born 
at  Londonderry,  New-Hampshire,  on  the  17th  Au 
gust,  1728. 

When  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  was, 
while  on  a  hunting  excursion,  surprised  and  cap 
tured  by  the  Indians,  and  remained  four  months  a 
prisoner  in  their  hands.  He  was  captain  of  a  com 
pany  of  rangers  in  the  provincial  service  during  the 
French  war  of  1755,  and  was  with  lord  Howe  when 
he  was  killed  in  storming  the  French  lines  at  Ti- 
conderoga,  in  July,  1758.  At  the  close  of  that  war, 
he  retired  with  the  reputation  of  a  brave  and  vigi 
lant  officer.  When  the  report  of  Lexington  battle 
reached*him,  he  was  engaged  at  work  in  his  saw 
mill.  Fired  with  indignation  and  a  martial  spirit,  he 
immediately  seized  his  musket,  and  with  a  band  of 


STEWART  ™^<^* 


301 

heroes  proceeded  to  Cambridge,  and  the  morning1 
after  his  arrival,  he  received  a  colonel's  commis 
sion. 

On  the  memorable  17th  June,  1775,  at  Breed's 
Hill,  colonel  Stark,  at  the  head  of  his  division, 
poured  on  the  enemy  that  deadly  fire,  which  com 
pelled  the  British  columns  twice  to  retreat.  Dur 
ing  the  whole  of  this  dreadful  conflict,  colonel 
Stark  evinced  that  consummate  bravery  and  intre 
pid  zeal,  which  entitle  his  name  to  honour  and  per 
petual  remembrance  in  the  pages  of  our  history. 
We  next  find  him  at  Trenton,  in  December,  1776, 
where  he  shared  largely  in  the  honours  of  that  ever 
memorable  battle.  But  colonel  Stark  reached  the 
climax  of  his  fame,  when  in  the  darkest  and  most 
desponding  periods  of  the  revolution  he  achieved 
a  glorious  victory  over  the  enemy  at  Bennington, 
of  twice  the  force  under  his  command.  In  this 
victory  he  took  upwards  of  seven  hundred  pri 
soners,  besides  four  brass  field-pieces.  Congress, 
on  the  4th  October,  1777,  in  consideration  of  his 
important  services,  promoted  him  to  the  rank  of 
brigadier -general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States. 
General  Stark  volunteered  his  services,  under  ge 
neral  Gates  at  Saratoga,  and  assisted  in  the  coun 
cil  which  stipulated  the  surrender  of  general  Bur- 
goyne ;  nor  did  he  relinquish  his  valuable  services 
till  he  could  greet  his  native  country  as  an  inde 
pendent  empire. 

He  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three 
years,  and  died  May  8,  1822. 


STEWART,  CHARLES,  commodore  in  the  navy  of 
the  United  States,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  July 
22,  1778. 

Shortly  after  receiving  a  good  education  he  en 
tered  the  merchant  service,  and  in  a  few  years 


302 

afterwards,  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  a 
ship. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  rupture  with  France 
in  1798,  he  received  the  appointment  of  a  lieute 
nancy  in  the  navy  of  the  United  States,  and  enter 
ed  the  service  on  board  of  the  frigate  United 
States. 

In  1800,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  Experiment  of  twelve  guns,  and  was  ordered 
to  cruise  in  the  West  India  seas. 

While  on  that  station,  he  engaged  and  captured 
the  Deux  Amies  of  twelve  guns,  the  Diana  of  eigh 
teen  guns,  the  Louisa  of  eight  guns,  besides  mer 
chantmen,  and  rescued  American  property  to  a 
large  amount. 

On  peace  being  restored,  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Constellation  frigate,  and  sailed  with  captain 
Murray  to  the  Mediterranean.  On  his  return  home, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  brig 
Siren,  and  sailed  again  to  the  Mediterranean,  and 
participated  in  the  splendid  victories  over  the  Tri- 
politans. 

In  1806,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  cap 
tain. 

During  the  late  war  with  Great  Britain,  he  was 
appointed  to  the  command  of  the  frigate  Constitu 
tion,  and  in  December,  1813,  proceeded  to  sea 
from  Boston  harbour,  although  blockaded  at  that 
time  by  seven  ships  of  the  line.  During  this  cruise 
he  captured  the  schooner  Picton  of  sixteen  guns, 
and  a  letter  of  marque  ship  under  her  convoy,  be 
sides  several  merchantmen. 

He  sailed  again  in  April,  1814,  and  captured  the 
British  brig  Lord  Nelson.  After  cruising  for  some 
time  off  Cape  Finisterre,  and  the  Madeiras,  he  at 
last  fell  in  with  and  engaged  two  of  his  majesty's 
ships,  and  in  less  than  forty  minutes,  both  struck. 
They  proved  to  be  the  Cyane  of  thirty-four  guns, 
and  the  Levant  of  thirty-eight  guns.  He  then  pro 
ceeded  home  with  his  prizes,  and  on  arriving  at 


.303 

Boston,  he  was  informed  of  the  restoration  of  peace 
between  the  two  countries. 

He  was  afterwards  appointed  a  member  of  the 
navy  board,  and  lately  to  the  command  of  the 
Franklin  74. 


SCHUYLER,  PHILIP,  a  major-general  in  the  revo 
lutionary  war,  received  this  appointment  from  con 
gress,  June  19, 1775.  He  was  directed  to  proceed 
immediately  from  New-York  to  Ticonderoga,  to  se 
cure  the  lakes,  and  to  make  preparations  for  enter 
ing  Canada.  Being  taken  sick  in  September,  the 
command  devolved  upon  Montgomery.  On  his  re 
covery  he  devoted  himself  zealously  to  the  manage 
ment  of  the  affairs  in  the  northern  department. 
The  superintendence  of  the  Indian  concerns  claim 
ed  much  of  his  attention. 

On  the  approach  of  Burgoyne,  in  1777,  he  made 
every  exertion  to  obstruct  his  progress;  but  the 
evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  by  St.  Clair,  occasion 
ing  unreasonable  jealousies  in  regard  to  Schuyler 
in  New-England,  he  was  superseded  by  Gates  in 
August,  and  congress  directed  an  inquiry  to  be 
made  into  his  conduct.  It  was  a  matter  of  extreme 
chagrin  to  him  to  be  recalled  at  the  moment  when 
he  was  about  to  take  ground  and  face  the  enemy. 
He  afterwards,  though  not  in  the  regular  service, 
rendered  important  services  to  his  country  in  the 
military  transactions  of  New- York.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  old  congress,  and  when  the  present 
government  of  the  United  States  commenced  its 
operations  in  1789,  he  was  appointed  with  Rufus 
King  a  senator  from  his  native  state. 

In  1797,  he  was  again  appointed  a  senator  in  the 
place  of  Aaron  Burr.  He  died  at  Albany,  Novem 
ber  18,  1804,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 


304 

Distinguished  by  strength  of  intellect  arid  upright 
intentions,  he  was  wise  in  the  contrivance,  and  en 
terprising  and  persevering  in  the  execution  of  plans 
of  public  utility.  In  private  life  he  was  dignified, 
but  courteous,  a  pleasing  and  instructive  compa 
nion,  affectionate  in  his  domestic  relations,  and 
just  in  all  his  dealings. 


TRUMBULL,  JOHN,  LL.  D.  a  distinguished  poet, 
was  born  at  Watertown,  Connecticut,  April  24, 
1750.  At  the  age  of  thirteen,  he  entered  Yale  col 
lege,  and  graduated  in  1767.  Being  now  master 
of  his  own  time,  he  devoted  himself  chiefly  to  po 
lite  literature ;  reading  all  the  Greek  and  Latin 
classics,  especially  the  poets  and  orators.  At  this 
period  he  commenced  an  acquaintance  with  Bar 
low,  Dwight,  and  Humphreys,  an  intimacy  which 
terminated  only  in  death. 

In  1769,  they  began  the  publication  of  a  series 
of  essays  in  the  manner  of  the  Spectator,  in  the 
Gazette,  printed  at  Boston,  and  afterwards  in  the 
newspapers  printed  at  New-Haven. 

In  1772,  he  published  the  first  part  of  a  poem, 
which  he  entitled,  the  Progress  of  Dullness,  de 
signed  to  expose  the  absurd  methods  of  education, 
which  then  prevailed :  he  added  a  second  and  third 
part  in  the  course  of  the  next  year. 

In  1773,  he  went  to  Boston  and  commenced  the 
study  of  the  law  in  the  office  of  John  Adams,  Esq. 
since  president  of  the  United  States.  The  contest 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies  approach 
ed  rapidly  towards  a  crisis.  With  all  the  ardour 
in  favour  of  liberty  which  characterizes  a  youth 
ful  politician,  he  entered  the  arena  with  the  leaders 
of  the  revolution,  and  occasionally  contributed  po 
litical  essays  to  the  public  gazettes. 

The  year  1775  was  a  period  of  terror  and  dis 
may.  The  war  had  commenced  by  the  battle  at 
Lexington.  Unconditional  submission,  or  a  total 
rejection  of  the  authority  of  the  crown,  presented 
the  only  alternative.  Every  exertion  was  therefore 
made  by  the  friends  of  American  liberty,  to  inspire 
confidence  in  our  cause,  to  crush  the  efforts  of  the 

39 


306 

tory  party,  and  to  prepare  the  public  mind  for  the 
declaration  of  independence.  With  these  views 
at  the  solicitation  of  some  of  his  friends  in  con 
gress,  he  wrote  the  first  part  of  the  poem  of  McFin- 
gal,  which  was  immediately  published  at  Philadel 
phia,  where  congress  was  then  assembled. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  close  of  the  year 
1782,  that  he  found  time  to  complete  this  poem, 
and  to  publish  it  entire  as  it  now  appears. 

After  the  adoption  of  the  federal  constitution, 
Mr.  Trumbull  was  first  called  forth  to  act  in  a  pub- 
lie  capacity.  From  that  period  he  continued  to  be 
employed  in  public  life,  till  the  year  1801,  when  he 
was  appointed  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  Con 
necticut. 

In  1808,  he  received  from  the  legislature  the  ad 
ditional  appointment  of  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court  of  errors. 

His  poetical  works  have  been  published  in  two 
volumes  octavo,  1820. 


TAPPAN,  DAVID,  DD.  professor  of  divinity  in 
Cambridge  university,  was  born  at  Manchester, 
Massachusetts,  April  21,  1752.  In  the  year  1771, 
he  received  the  honours  of  the  university.  After 
pursuing  the  study  of  divinity  for  three  years,  he 
commenced  preaching,  and  was  ordained  minister 
of  the  third  church  in  Newbury,  in  April,  1774. 

In  tliia  place  he  continued  about  eighteen  years. 
In  June,  1702,  he  was  elected  professor  of  divinity 
in  Cambridge  university.  When  he  was  introduc 
ed  into  this  office,  the  students  of  the  university 
were  uncommonly  dissolute.  For  some  time  they 
had  received  no  regular  instruction  in  theology, 
and  the  tide  of  opinion  began  to  run  in  the  channel 
of  infidelity.  But  the  lectures  of  Dr.  Tappan, 
which  combined  entertainment  with  information ; 


Which  were  profound  and  yet  prophetic  ;  elegant  in 
style  and  conclusive  in  argument,  and  which  came 
warm  from  a  pious  heart,  soon  checked  the  pro 
gress  of  profanity,  and  put  open  irreligion  to 
shame. 

After  a  short  sickness,  he  died  August  27,  1803, 
and  was  succeeded  in  the  professorship  bv  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Ware. 

Dr.  Tappan  possessed  much  activity  and  vigour 
of  mind,  fertility  of  invention,  and  force  of  imagi 
nation.  His  readiness  of  conception  and  com 
mand  of  language  enabled  him  both  in  speaking 
and  writing  to  express  what  he  thought  and  felt 
with  propriety,  perspicuity,  and  force. 

Since  his  death  two  volumes  have  been  publish 
ed  from  his  manuscripts,  the  one  of  sermons,  and 
the  other  entitled  Lectures  on  Jewish  Antiquities, 
8vo,  1807. 


TRUMBULL,  JONATHAN,  a  distinguished  patriot 
and  governor  of  Connecticut,  was  born  at  Leba 
non  in  1710,  and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  col 
lege  in  1727.  He  early  discovered  fine  talents, 
and  for  some  time  studied  divinity.  He  after 
wards  turned  his  attention  to  jurisprudence,  and 
soon  became  an  eminent  civilian.  He  was  chosen 
governor  in  1769,  and  was  annually  elected  till 
1783,  when  he  resigned,  having  been  occupied  for 
fifty  years,  without  interruption,  in  public  employ 
ments,  and  having  rendered  during  eight  years  war 
the  most  important  services  to  his  country.  No 
man  ever  loved  his  country  more.  He  showed 
himself  the  honest  and  unshaken  patriot,  the  wise 
and  able  magistrate.  Having  seen  the  termination 
of  the  contest  in  the  establishment  of  the  indepen 
dence  of  America,  he  withdrew  from  public  la 
bours,  that  he  might  devote  himself  to  the  concerns 


308 

of  religion,  and  to  a  better  preparation  for  his  fu 
ture  existence.  He  died  August  17,  1785,  in  the 
seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

General  Washington,  in  a  letter  of  condolence 
on  his  death,  to  one  of  his  sons,  wrote  thus:  "Un 
der  this  loss,  however,  great  as  your  pangs  may 
have  been  at  the  first  shock,  you  have  every  thing 
to  console  you.  A  long  and  well-spent  life  in  the 
service  of  his  country  placed  governor  Trumbull 
among  the  first  of  patriots ;  in  the  social  duties  he 
yielded  to  none;  and  his  lamp  from  the  common 
course  of  nature  being  nearly  extinguished,  worn 
down  with  age  and  cares,  but  retaining  his  mental 
faculties  in  perfection,  are  blessings  which  attend 
rarely  his  advanced  life  All  these  combining, 
have  secured  to  his  memory  universal  respect  here, 
and  no  doubt,  increasing  happiness  hereafter." 

Governor  Trumbull  made  a  great  collection  of 
historical  papers,  manuscripts,  <fcc.  which  have 
been  presented  to  the  Massachusetts  Historical 
Society. 


THORNTON,  MATTHEW,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  Ireland,, 
about  the  year  1714. 

Two  or  three  years  subsequent  to  his  birth,  his 
father  emigrated  to  this  country  with  his  family, 
and  settled  in  the  district  of  Maine.  In  a  few 
years  he  removed  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  con 
ferred  the  benefits  of  an  academical  education  upon 
his  son,  whom  he  designed  for  one  of  the  learned 
professions.  He  accordingly  commenced  and  pro 
secuted  his  medical  studies  at  Leicester,  Massa 
chusetts,  and  after  the  usual  preparatory  course, 
embarked  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  London 
derry,  New-Hampshire.  Here  he  soon  acquired 
considerable  reputation  as  a  physician  and  sur~ 


J09 

geon,  and  in  a  few  years  became  comparatively 
wealthy. 

He  had  the  honour  to  fill  several  important  of 
fices  previous  to  the  year  1776,  in  which  year  he 
was  appointed  a  delegate  to  represent  the  state 
of  New-Hampshire  in  congress.  During  this  ever 
memorable  year,  he  affixed  his  name  to  the  decla 
ration  of  independence. 

In  1779,  Dr.  Thornton  removed  to  Exeter,  where 
he  purchased  a  fine  farm,  and  made  it  afterwards 
his  permanent  residence. 

In  this  delightful  retreat,  being  far  advanced  in 
life,  he  relinquished  in  a  great  measure  the  prac 
tice  of  medicine.  He  however  interested  himself 
in  the  municipal  affairs  of  the  town,  and  was  for 
several  years  chosen  one  of  the  selectmen. 

On  the  great  question  which  was  decided  in  fa 
vour  of  our  national  independence,  he  was  inva 
riably  steadfast,  and  at  all  times  evinced  his  readi 
ness  to  support  with  his  property  and  life,  the  de 
claration  to  which  he  had  publicly  subscribed.  His 
political  character  may  be  best  estimated  by  the 
fact,  that  he  enjoyed  the  confidence,  and  was  the 
unshaken  disciple  of  Washington. 

He  died  in  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  while 
on  a  visit  to  his  daughters,  June  24,  1803,  in  the 
eighty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

Doctor  Thornton  was  a  man  of  large  stature, 
exceeding  six  feet  in  height;  his  complexion  was 
dark,  and  his  eye  black  and  penetrating.  His 
countenance  was  invincibly  grave,  like  that  of  Cas- 
sius,  who  read  much,  and  never  smiled.  In  his 
deportment,  he  was  dignified  and  commanding, 
without  austerity  or  hauteur. 

The  grave  of  this  eminent  man  is  covered  by  a 
white  marble  slab,  upon  which  are  inscribed  his 
name  and  age,  with  the  brief  but  noble  epitaph : 

"AN  HONEST  MAN," 


TOMPKINS,  DANIEL  D.  fifth  vice-president  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  at  Scarsdale,  New-York, 
June  21,  1774. 

He  entered  Columbia  college  in  1792,  and  in 
three  years  afterwards  graduated  with  distinguish 
ed  reputation  for  scholarship.  On  leaving  college, 
he  immediately  commenced  the  study  of  the  law, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  supreme  court 
in  the  year  1797. 

His  commanding  talents  and  stern  integrity  soon 
made  him  a  favourite  with  the  people,  from  whom 
he  has  since  received  the  highest  political  honours. 

In  1802,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state 
legislature,  and  in  the  following  year  appointed 
judge  of  the  superior  court  of  New-York. 

He  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  chief 
justice  until  the  spring  of  1807,  when  he  was  elect 
ed  governor  of  the  state. 

From  this  period  until  the  close  of  the  late  war, 
he  was  active  in  her  councils,  and  rendered  the 
most  important  services  to  his  country. 

In  1817,  he  was  elevated,  in  consideration  of  his 
distinguished  talents  and  important  services,  to  the 
exalted  station  of  vice-president  of  the  United 
States. 


WHIFFLE,  WILLIAM,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  at  Kittery, 
in  the  district  of  Maine,  in  the  year  1730.  He  re 
ceived  an  education  suited  only  to  a  seafaring  life, 
in  which  he  embarked  at  an  early  age. 

In  the  year  1759,  he  abandoned  the  sea  and 
commenced  business  in  connexion  with  his  brother 
in  the  town  of  Portsmouth,  New-Hampshire. 

At  an  early  period  of  the  contest  he  took  a  de 
cided  part  in  favour  of  the  colonies,  in  their  op 
position  to  the  claims  of  Great  Britain ;  and  his 
townsmen  placing  the  highest  confidence  in  his 
patriotism  and  integrity,  frequently  elected  him  to 
offices  which  required  great  firmness  and  modera 
tion. 

When  the  disputes  between  the  two  countries 
were  approaching  to  a  crisis,  he  was  in  the  year 
1775,  chosen  one  of  the  provincial  committee  of 
safety  for  the  town  of  Portsmouth. 

In  1776,  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  general 
congress,  which  met  at  Philadelphia,  and  accord 
ingly  took  his  seat  in  that  august  body  on  the  29th 
February.  He  continued  to  be  re-elected  to  that 
distinguished  situation  in  the  years  1777,  1778,  and 
1779,  and  applied  himself  with  great  diligence  and 
ability  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties,  when  the  mi 
litary  services  which  he  rendered  during  that  pe 
riod,  permitted  him  to  be  an  acting  member  of  the 
New-Hampshire  delegation. 

In  the  middle  of  September,  1779,  he  finally  re 
tired  from  congress,  after  having  attended,  without 
the  least  intermission,  at  his  post  of  duty,  from  the 
5th  of  the  preceding  month  of  November. 

The  memorable  day  which  gave  birth  to  the  de 
claration  of  independence,  afforded  in  the  case  of 


Mr.  Whipple,  a  striking  example  of  the  uncertain 
ty  of  human  affairs,  and  the  triumphs  of  persever 
ance.  The  cabin  boy,  who,  thirty  years  before, 
had  looked  forward  to  the  command  of  a  vessel  as 
the  consummation  of  all  his  hopes  and  wishes,  now 
stood  amidst  the  congress  of  1776,  and  looked 
around  upon  a  conclave  of  patriots,  such  as  the 
world  had  never  witnessed.  He,  whose  ambition 
once  centred  in  inscribing  his  name  as  commander 
upon  a  crew-list,  now  affixed  his  signature  to  a  do 
cument,  which  has  embalmed  it  for  posterity. 

In  the  year  1777,  Mr.  Whipple  was  called  upon 
to  act  in  untried  scenes,  and  exchange  his  political 
for  a  military  character.  On  the  invasion  of  gene 
ral  Burgoyne,  Mr.  Whipple  and  John  Stark,  were 
appointed  brigadier-generals,  with  orders  to  em 
body  the  militia,  and  to  stop  the  progress  of  the 
enemy.  The  latter,  with  the  second  brigade,  pro 
ceeded  to  Bennington,  (where  the  enemy  had  a 
large  body  of  troops  under  the  command  of  lieu 
tenant-colonel  Baum,)  attacked  their  works  and 
put  them  to  flight.  Soon  after  this  victory,  general 
Whipple  marched  with  the  first  brigade  to  join  the 
standard  of  general  Gates.  In  the  desperate  bat 
tles  of  Stillwater  and  of  Saratoga,  the  troops  of 
general  Whipple  gained  a  large  share  of  honour 
due  to  the  American  army.  The  consequence  of 
these  engagements  was  the  surrender  of  general 
Burgoyne. 

In  1780,  immediately  after  his  retirement  from 
congress,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  state  le 
gislature,  to  which  office  he  was  repeatedly  chosen, 
and  continued  to  enjoy  the  confidence  and  appro 
bation  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

In  1782,  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  supe 
rior  court,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death, 
which  happened  November  28,  1785,  in  the  fifty- 
fifth  year  of  his  age. 

General  Whipple  was  possessed  of  a   strong 
mind,  and  quick  discernment.     He  was  easy  in  his 


manners,  courteous  in  his  deportment,  correct  in 
his  habits,  and  constant  in  his  friendships. 

He  enjoyed  through  life  a  great  share  of  the 
public  confidence ;  and  although  his  early  education 
was  limited,  his  natural  good  sense,  and  accurate 
observations,  enabled  him  to  discharge  the  duties 
of  the  several  offices  with  which  he  was  intrust 
ed,  with  credit  to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  pub 
lic. 

Few  men  rose  more  rapidly  and  worthily  in  the 
scale  of  society,  or  bore  their  new  honours  with 
more  modesty  and  propriety. 

Such  was  William  Whipple,  whose  name,  united 
with  the  great  charter  of  our  freedom,  will  perish 
only  with  the  records  of  the  republic. 


WILLARD,  SAMUEL,  vice-president  of  Harvard 
college,  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated  divines  of 
New-England.  He  was  graduated  at  Harvard  col 
lege  in  1659.  He  was  ordained  a  minister  at  Gro- 
ton,  but  afterwards  was  settled  as  colleague  with 
Mr.  Thacher,  the  first  minister  of  the  old  South 
Church  in  Boston,  April  10,  1678.  After  the  re 
signation  of  president  Mather,  he  as  vice-president 
took  the  superintendence  of  Harvard  college,  and 
presided  over  that  institution  till  his  death,  Sep 
tember  12,  1707,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years. 

Mr.  Willard  possessed  very  superior  powers  of 
mind.  His  imagination  was  rich  though  not  luxu 
riant  ;  his  perception  was  rapid  and  correct ;  and  in 
argument  he  was  profound  and  clear.  His  learn 
ing  also  was  very  considerable.  In  controversy 
he  was  a  champion,  defending  the  cause  of  truth 
with  courage,  and  with  enlightened  and  affectionate 
zeal. 

No  divine,  except  Dr.  Cotton  Mather,  in  this 
country,  prepared  more  works  for  the  press :  and 

40 


they  were  all  calculated  to  do  honour  to  the  author, 
and  edify  pious  people. 

-  Mr.  Willard's  largest  work,  and  the  first  folio 
volume,  on  divinity,  printed  in  this  country,  was 
published  in  1726,  entitled,  A  Body  of  Divinity,  in 
two  hundred  and  fifty  expository  Lectures  on  the 
Assembly's  shorter  Catechism.  It  is  considered 
as  a  work  of  great  merit. 


WILLIAMS,  ROGER,  the  father  of  Providence  Plan 
tation,  was  born  in  Wales,  in  1599,  and  was  edu 
cated  at  the  university  of  Oxford.  After  having 
been  for  some  time  a  minister  in  the  church  of 
England,  his  non-conformity  induced  him  to  seek 
religious  liberty  in  America.  He  arrived  at  Bos 
ton,  February  5,  1631.  In  April,  he  was  chosen 
an  assistant  to  Mr.  Skelton  in  the  ministry  at  Sa 
lem,  and  after  his  death  was  the  sole  minister  of 
the  church. 

In  1635,  in  consequence  of  his  peculiar  senti 
ments  and  puritanic  zeal,  the  sentence  of  banish 
ment  was  passed  upon  him.  He  went  to  Seek- 
honck,  now  called  Rehoboth.  He  afterwards  fix 
ed  upon  Mooshausick,  which  he  named  Provi 
dence,  in  acknowledgment  of  God's  goodness  to 
him.  He  purchased  the  land  of  the  Indians,  and 
while  he  enjoyed  liberty  of  conscience  himself,  he 
granted  it  to  others.  Having  embraced  the  senti 
ments  of  the  baptists,  he  was  baptized  in  March, 
1639,  by  one  of  his  brethren ;  and  he  then  baptized 
ten  others. 

As  the  founder  of  one  of  the  provinces,  and  a 
writer  in  favour  of  civil  and  religious  freedom,  he 
was  more  bold,  just,  and  liberal,  than  any  other 
who  appeared  in  that  generation. 

Many  would  smile  at  seeing  the  name  of  Roger 
Williams  enrolled  with  the  legislators  of  ancient 


times,  or  with  the  statesmen  of  modern  Europe,  or 
with  such  a  man  as  Penn,  whose  steps  were  more 
majestic  upon  the  theatre  of  the  great  world;  but 
this  man  was  equal  to  conducting  the  affairs  of 
this  mfant  colony  as  well  as  if  a  complete  system 
of  legislation  was  formed ;  and,  as  a  mediator  be 
tween  the  aboriginies  and  the  colonists,  if  he  were 
the  instrument  of  preserving  the  peace,  of  teaching 
the  Indians  some  of  the  arts  of  life,  and  of  illumi 
nating  the  minds  of  the  heathen  with  the  light  of 
Christianity,  he  is  certainly  worthy  of  more  credit, 
than  some  mighty  hunters  of  the  earth,  or  those 
sages  whose  maxims  have  made  men  fierce  and 
revengeful,  and  caused  human  blood  to  flow  in 
streams. 

He  died  in  April,  1683,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years. 

His  memory  is  deserving  of  lasting  honour  for 
the  correctness  of  his  opinions  respecting  liberty 
of  conscience,  and  for  the  generous  toleration 
which  he  established.  So  superior  was  he  to  the 
meanness  of  revenge,  and  such  was  his  magnani 
mity,  that  he  exerted  all  his  influence  with  the  In 
dians  in  favour  of  Massachusetts,  and  ever  evinced 
the  greatest  friendship  for  the  colony  from  which 
he  had  been  driven. 

His  talents  were  of  a  superior  order.  In  the  re 
ligious  doctrines,  which  he  embraced,  he  seems  to 
have  been  remarkably  consistent.  The  scriptures 
he  read  in  the  originals.  He  published  a  key  to 
the  language  of  the  Indians  of  New-England,  octavo, 
1643;  Truth  and  Peace,  1644.  In  this  book  are 
disclosed  sentiments  which  have  been  admired  in 
the  writings  of  JMilton  and  Furneaux.  His  ideas 
of  toleration  he  carried  further  than  Mr.  Locke, 
but  not  beyond  the  generality  of  dissenters  in  Eng 
land. 


316 

WARREN,  JOSEPH,  a  major-general  in  the  Ame 
rican  army,  and  a  distinguished  patriot,  was  born 
at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  in  the  year  1741.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  entered  Harvard  college,  and 
received  the  honours  of  that  seminary  in  1759,  and 
1762.  On  leaving  college  he  directed  his  atten 
tion  to  the  study  of  medicine,  and  in  a  few  years 
became  one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  in 
Boston.  But  he  lived  at  a  period,  when  greater 
objects  claimed  his  attention,  than  those  which  re 
lated  particularly  to  his  profession.  The  calls  of 
a  distracted  country  were  paramount  to  every  con 
sideration  of  his  own  interests ;  and  he  entered  the 
vortex  of  politics,  never  to  return  to  the  peaceful 
course  of  professional  labour. 

The  change  in  public  opinion  had  been  gradual 
ly  preparing  the  minds  of  most  men  for  a  revolu 
tion.  This  was  not  openly  avowed;  amelioration 
of  treatment  for  the  present,  and  assurances  of 
kindness  in  future,  were  all  that  the  colonies  asked 
from  Great  Britain  ;  but  these  they  did  not  receive. 

The  mother  country  mistook  the  spirit  of  her 
children,  and  used  threats  when  kindness  would 
have  been  the  best  policy.  When  Britain  declared 
her  right  to  direct,  govern,  and  tax  us  in  any  form, 
and  at  all  times,  the  colonies  reasoned,  remonstrat 
ed,  and  entreated  for  a  while;  and  when  these 
means  did  not  answer,  they  defied  and  resisted. 
The  political  writers  of  the  province  had  been  ac 
tive  and  busy,  but  they  were  generally  screened  by 
fictitious  names,  or  sent  their  productions  anony 
mously  into  the  world ;  but  the  time  had  arrived 
when  speakers  of  nerve  and  boldness  were  wanted 
to  raise  their  voices  against  oppression  in  every 
shape.  Warren  possessed  first-rate  qualities  for 
an  orator,  and  had  early  declared  in  the  strongest 
terms  his  political  sentiments,  which  were  some 
what  in  advance  of  public  opinion ;  for  he  held  as 
tyranny  all  taxation,  which  could  be  imposed  by 
the  British  parliament  upon  the  colonies. 


His  first  object  was  to  enlighten  the  people ;  and 
then  he  felt  sure  of  engaging  their  feelings  in  the 
general  cause.  He  knew  when  once  they  began, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  tread  back — indepen 
dence  only  would  satisfy  the  country. 

He  embraced  every  opportunity  to  assert  and 
defend  the  most  bold  and  undisguised  principles 
of  liberty,  and  defying  in  their  very  teeth  the  agents 
of  the  crown. 

Twice  he  was  elected  to  deliver  the  oration  on 
the  5th  of  March,  in  commemoration  of  the  massa 
cre;  and  his  orations  are  among  the  most  distin 
guished  productions  by  that  splendid  list  of  speak 
ers  who  addressed  their  fellow  citizens  on  this  sub 
ject,  so  interesting  to  them  all.     These  occasions 
gave  the  orators  a  fine  field  for  remark,  and  a  fair 
opportunity  for  effect.     The  great  orators  of  anti 
quity  in  their  speeches  attempted  only  to  rouse  the 
people  to  retain  what  they  possessed.     Invective, 
entreaty,   and  pride  had  their  effect  in   assisting 
these    mighty    masters    to   influence   the    people. 
They  were  ashamed  to  lose  what  their  fathers  left 
them,  won  by  their  blood,  and  so  long  preserved 
by  their  wisdom,  their  virtues,  and  their  courage. 
Our  statesmen  had  a  harder  task  to  perform,  for 
they  were  compelled  to  call  on  the  people  to  gain 
what   they   had    never   enjoyed — an    independent 
rank  and  standing  among  the  nations  of  the  world. 
From  the  year  1768,  he  was  a  principal  member 
of  a  secret  meeting  or  caucus  in  Boston,  which  had 
great  influence   on  the   concerns  of  the  country. 
With  all  his  boldness,  and  decision,  and  zeal,  he 
was  circumspect  and  wise. 

His  next  oration  was  delivered  March  6,  1775. 
It  was  at  his  own  solicitation  that  he  was  appointed 
to  this  duty  a  second  time.  This  fact  is  illustra 
tive  of  his  character,  and  worthy  of  remembrance. 
Some  of  the  British  officers  of  the  army  then  in 
Boston  had  publicly  declared  that  it  should  be  at 
the  price  of  the  life  of  any  man  to  speak  of  the 


318 

event  of  March  5,  1770,  on  that  anniversary.  War 
den's  soul  took  fire  at  such  a  threat,  so  openly 
made,  and  he  wished  for  the  hour  of  braving  it. 
The  day  came,  and  the  weather  was  remarkably 
fine.  The  old  south  meeting-house  was  crowded 
at  an  early  hour.  The  British  officers  occupied 
the  isles,  the  flight  of  steps  to  the  pulpit,  and 
several  of  them  were  in  it.  The  orator,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  friends,  made  his  entrance  at  the 
pulpit  window  by  a  ladder.  The  officers  seeing 
his  coolness  and  intrepidity,  made  way  for  him  to 
advance  and  address  the  audience.  An  awful  still 
ness  preceded  his  exordium.  Each  man  felt  the 
palpitations  of  his  own  heart,  and  saw  the  pale  but 
determined  face  of  his  neighbour.  The  speaker 
began  his  oration  in  a  firm  tone  of  voice,  and  pro 
ceeded  with  great  energy  and  pathos. 

The  scene  was  sublime ;  a  patriot  in  whom  the 
flush  of  youth,  and  the  grace  and  dignity  of  man 
hood  were  combined,  stood  armed  in  the  sanctuary 
of  God,  to  animate  and  encourage  the  sons  of  liber 
ty,  and  to  hurl  defiance  at  their  oppressors. 

Such  another  hour  has  seldom  happened  in  the 
history  of  man,  and  is  not  surpassed  in  the  records 
of  nations. 

The  thunders  of  Demosthenes  rolled  at  a  dis 
tance  from  Phillip  and  his  host — and  Tully  poured 
the  fiercest  torrent  of  his  invective  when  Catiline 
was  at  a  distance,  and  his  dagger  no  longer  to  be 
feared;  but  Warren's  speech  was  made  to  proud 
oppressors  resting  on  their  arms,  whose  errand  it 
was  to  overawe,  and  whose  business  it  was  to 
fight. 

If  the  deed  of  Brutus  deserved  to  be  commemo 
rated  by  history,  poetry,  painting,  and  sculpture — 
should  not  this  instance  of  patriotism  and  bravery 
be  held  in  everlasting  remembrance  1  If  he 

"  That  struck  the  foremost  man  of  all  this  world, 

was  hailed  as  the  first  of  freemen,  what  honours 


are  not  due  to  him,  who  undismayed  bearded  the 
British  lion,  to  show  the  world  what  his  country 
men  dared  to  do  in  the  cause  of  liberty!  If  the 
statue  of  Brutus  was  placed  among  those  of  the 
gods,  who  were  the  preservers  of  Roman  freedom, 
should  not  that  of  Warren  fill  a  lofty  niche  in  the 
temple  reared  to  perpetuate  the  remembrance  of 
our  birth  as  a  nation  I 

It  was  he,  who  on  the  evening  before  the  battle 
of  Lexington  obtained  information  of  the  intended 
expedition  against  Concord,  and  at  10  o'clock  at 
night  despatched  an  express  to  Messrs.  Hancock 
and  Adams,  who  were  at  Lexington,  to  warn  them 
of  their  danger. 

On  the  next  day  he  hastened  to  the  field  of  action, 
in  the  full  ardour  of  his  soul,  and  shared  the  dan 
gers  of  the  day.  The  people  were  delighted  with 
his  bravery,  and  already  considered  him  as  a  leader, 
whose  gallantry  they  were  to  admire,  and  in  whose 
talents  they  were  to  confide. 

On  the  14th  June,  1775,  the  provincial  congress 
of  Massachusetts,  appointed  him  a  major-general 
of  their  forces.  He  was  at  this  time  president  of 
the  provincial  congress,  having  been  elected  the 
preceding  year  a  member  from  the  town  of  Bos 
ton.  In  this  body  he  discovered  his  extraordinary 
powers  of  mind,  and  his  peculiar  fitness  for  respon 
sible  offices  at  such  a  juncture. 

On  the  18th,  when  the  intrenchments  were  made 
at  Bunker's  Hill,  he,  to  encourage  the  men  within 
the  lines,  went  down  from  Cambridge,  and  acted 
as  a  volunteer.  Just  as  the  retreat  commenced, 
a  ball  struck  him  on  the  head,  and  he  died  in  the 
trenches,  aged  thirty-five  years.  He  was  the  first 
victim  of  rank  that  fell  in  the  struggle  of  Great 
Britain.  In  the  requiem  over  those  who  have 
fallen  in  the  cause  of  their  country,  which 

•*  Time  with  his  own  eternal  lips  shall  sing," 

the  praises  of  Warren  shall  be  distinctly  heard. 


His  mind  was  vigorous,  his  disposition  humane, 
and  his  manners  affable  and  engaging.  In  his 
integrity  and  patriotism  entire  confidence  was 
placed.  To  the  most  undaunted  bravery  he  added 
the  virtues  of  domestic  life,  the  eloquence  of  an 
accomplished  orator,  and  the  wisdom  of  an  able 
statesman. 


WAYNE,  ANTHONY,  a  mfcjor-general  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Chester  county. 
Pennsylvania,  in  1745. 

In  1773,  he  was  appointed  a  representative  to 
the  general  assembly,  where  in  conjunction,  with 
John  Dickinson,  Thomas  Mifflin,  Charles  Thomp 
son,  and  other  gentlemen,  he  took  an  active  part 
in  opposition  to  the  claims  of  Great  Britain,  and 
was  of  material  service  in  preparing  the  way  for 
the  firm  and  decisive  part  which  Pennsylvania 
took  in  the  general  contest. 

In  1775,  he  quitted  the  councils  of  his  country 
for  the  field.  He  entered  the  army  as  a  colonel, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  year  accompanied  general 
Thompson  to  Canada.  When  this  officer  was  de 
feated  in  his  enterprise  in  June,  1776,  and  was  taken 
prisoner,  colonel  Wayne,  although  wounded,  dis 
played  great  gallantry  and  intrepidity  in  bringing 
off  the  scattered  bodies  of  troops. 

In  the  same  year  he  served  at  Ticonderoga  un 
der  general  Gates,  by  whom  he  was  esteemed  both 
for  his  courage  and  military  talents,  and  for  his 
knowledge  as  an  engineer.  At  the  close  of  this 
campaign  he  was  made  a  brigadier-general.  In 
the  following  campaigns  he  greatly  distinguished 
himself  at  the  battles  of  Brandy  wine,  Germantown, 
and  Monmouth.  For  his  most  daring  and  success 
ful  assault  upon  Stony  Point,  in  July,  1779,  con 
gress  presented  to  him  a  gold  medal  emblematic 


of  the  action.  In  1781,  he  was  ordered  to  march 
with  the  Pennsylvania  line  from  the  northward, 
and  form  a  junction  with  La  Fayette  in  Virginia. 
On  the  6th  of  July,  after  receiving  information, 
that  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  under  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  had  crossed  James  river,  he  pressed  forward 
at  the  head  of  eight  hundred  men  to  attack  the 
rear  guard.  But  to  his  utter  astonishment,  when 
he  reached  the  place,  he  found  the  whole  British 
army  drawn  up  to  receive  him.  At  this  moment 
he  conceived  of  but  one  way  to  escape.  He  rush 
ed  towards  the  enemy  till  he  came  within  twenty- 
five  yards,  when  he  commenced  a  gallant  attack, 
which  he  supported  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
retreated  with  the  utmost  expedition.  The  Bri 
tish  general  was  confounded  by  this  movement,  and 
apprehensive  of  an  ambuscade  from  La  Fayette, 
would  not  allow  of  a  pursuit. 

After  the  capture  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  he  was 
sent  to  conduct  the  war  in  Georgia,  where,  with 
equal  success,  he  vanquished  the  savage  foe.  As 
a  reward  for  his  services,  the  legislature  of  Georgia 
presented  him  with  a  valuable  farm. 

In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
convention,  which  ratified  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States. 

In  1792,  he  succeeded  general  St.  Clair  in  the 
command  of  the  army  on  the  western  frontier.  In 
a  general  engagement  with  the  Indians,  he  gained 
a  complete  victory;  and  afterwards  desolated  their 
country.  On  the  3d  of  August,  1795,  he  concluded 
a  treaty  with  the  hostile  Indians  northwest  of  the 
Ohio.  Having  now  shielded  his  country  from  the 
murderous  tomahawk  of  the  Indian  savages,  and 
established  her  boundaries ;  after  a  life  of  glory 
and  renown,  he  expired  in  a  hut  at  Presque  Isle, 
December  15,  1796,  aged  fifty-one  years,  and  was 
buried  on  the  shore  of  lake  Erie. 


II 


WILLIAMSON,  HUGH,  M.  D.  LL.  D.  one  of  the 
signers  of  the  Federal  constitution,  was  born  in 
West  Nottingham,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  5th  De 
cember,  1735.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  entered 
the  first  class  in  the  college  of  Philadelphia,  and  at 
the  first  commencement  held  in  that  college,  he  re 
ceived  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts.  He  after 
wards  commenced  the  study  of  divinity  with  Dr. 
Samuel  Finley,  and  prosecuted  it  with  such  success, 
that  in  1759,  he  was  licensed  to  preach. 

In  1760,  he  received  the  degree  of  master  of  arts ; 
and  was  soon  after  appointed  professor  of  mathe 
matics  in  that  institution. 

In  1764,  he  resigned  his  professorship  and  left 
his  native  country  for  Europe,  to  prosecute  his  me 
dical  studies  at  the  university  of  Edinburgh. 

After  enjoying  the  medical  lectures  of  that  in 
stitution  for  several  years,  he  went  to  London, 
where  he  remained  twelve  months  diligently  pursu 
ing  his  studies.  From  London  he  crossed  over  to 
Holland,  and  completed  his  medical  education  at 
Utrecht.  After  his  return  to  this  country,  he  com 
menced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Philadelphia, 
with  great  success. 

In  1769,  in  conjunction  with  several  of  the  Ame 
rican  astronomers,  he  was  employed  in  making  ob 
servations  on  the  transit  of  Venus,  which  happen 
ed  in  that  year ;  and  which  were  afterwards  refer 
red  to  with  peculiar  notice  and  approbation  by  the 
astronomers  of  Europe. 

In  1770,  he  published  "  Observations  upon  the 
change  of  the  climate  of  the  United  States." 

In  consideration  of  these  valuable  papers,  he  was 
elected  honorary  member  of  the  Holland  society  of 
sciences  ;  of  the  society  of  arts  and  sciences  of 
Utrecht ;  and  as  a  further  reward  of  his  literary  la 
bours,  the  degree  of  doctor  of  laws  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  university  of  Leyden. 

In  1773,  he  was  appointed,  in  conjunction  with 
Dr.  John  Ewing,  to  make  a  tour  through  England. 


Scotland,  and  Ireland,  to  solicit  benefactions  lor 
the  college  at  Newark. 

During  his  stay  in  London,  he  procured  the  ce 
lebrated  letters  of  Hutchinson  and  Oliver,  in  which 
they  had  secretly  laboured  to  paint,  in  the  most 
odious  colours,  the  character  of  the  people  of  Mas 
sachusetts. 

He  lost  no  time  in  delivering  them  into  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Franklin,  who  afterwards  transmitted  them 
to  his  constituents  in  Boston. 

"  The  indignation  and  animosity,  which  were  ex 
cited  on  their  perusal,  roused  the  people  to  a  great 
er  opposition  to  the  measures  of  Great  Britain." 

He  then  passed  into  Holland,  where  he  heard 
the  news  of  the  declaration  of  independence. 

As  soon  as  he  could  arrange  his  affairs,  he  sailed 
for  America,  and  arrived  at  Philadelphia  in  March, 
1779. 

Shortly  after  he  settled  in  North-Carolina,  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  physic  at  Edenton,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  Newbern.  In  1780,  he  was 
appointed  a  surgeon  in  the  army. 

In  1782,  he  took  his  seat  as  a  representative  in 
the  house  of  commons  of  North  Carolina;  from 
thence  he  was  sent  to  the  general  congress.  In 
1786,  he  was  appointed  a  member  to  revise  and 
amend  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 

In  1787,  he  was  appointed  a  delegate  from  North 
Carolina,  in  the  general  convention  at  Philadelphia, 
who  formed  and  signed  the  federal  constitution 
of  the  United  States. 

While  in  congress,  he  enjoyed  a  large  share  of 
influence,  and  was  appreciated  for  the  purity  of  his 
intentions,  and  his  inflexible  devotedness  to  the  in 
terests  of  his  country. 

In  1811,  he  published  "  Observations  on  the  cli 
mate  in  the  different  parts  of  America,  compared 
with  the  climate  in  corresponding  parts  of  the  other 
Continent." 


1324 

In  181^,  he  published  the  ei  History  of  North  Ca 
rolina,"  2  vols.  octavo. 

His  other  writings  are  numerous  and  detached, 
and  are  to  be  found  in  almost  all  of  the  literary  and 
scientific  journals  of  our  country. 

In  1814,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  formation 
ef  the  "  literary  and  philosophical  society  of  New- 
York."  His  intellectual  faculties  remained  to  the 
last  period  of  his  life  unbroken,  and  in  their  full  vi 
gour.  He  died  on  the  <22d  May,  1819,  in  the  85th 
year  of  his  age. 


WEST,  SAMUEL,  DD.  an  eminent  divine,  meta 
physical,  theological,  and  controversial  writer,  was 
born  at  Yarmouth,  Massachusetts,  March  4,  1730. 
He  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  the  year 
1754,  having  gained  a  rank  among  the  most  distin 
guished  of  his  class.  About  the  year  1764,  he  was 
ordained  at  New  Bedford. 

His  mind  was  very  capacious  and  strong,  his  read 
ing  extensive ;  his  company  was  also  solicited  by 
men  of  literary  taste  from  all  parts  of  the  common 
wealth. 

He  was  peculiarly  fond  of  associating  with  those 
who  maintained  the  cause  of  rational  religion,  and 
Christian  liberty. 

In  polities,  he  was  a  zealous  whig.  He  wrote 
many  forcible  pieces  in  the  newspapers,  which  rous 
ed  the  spirit  of  the  timid,  and  animated  the  cou 
rageous.  He  deciphered  the  letters  of  Doctor 
Church,  which  exposed  to  the  enemy  the  particular 
state  of  the  American  army.  When  the  conven 
tion  met  at  Cambridge  and  Boston,  to  form  a  con 
stitution  for  the  state,  he  was  a  leader  in  several  of 
the  debates ;  and  during  the  whole  session  was  a 
very  important  and  influential  member.  He 


also  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  convention, 
which  adopted  the  constitution  of  the  United  States. 
He  preached  the  Dudleian  lecture  upon  the  validity 
of  presbyterian  ordination,  1782.  The  university 
of  Cambridge  presented  him  with  a  diploma  of 
doctor  in  divinity,  1793. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Ame 
rican  academy  of  arts  and  sciences,  arid  an  hono 
rary  member  of  the  philosophical  society  in  Phila 
delphia. 

He  died  at  Tiverton,  Rhode  Island,  September 
24,  1807,  aged  seventy-seven  years. 

He  was  a  great  biblical  critic ;  and  it  has  been 
well  observed,  that  with  the  same  advantages,  he 
"  had  fallen  little  short  of  Buxtorf,  Mede,  Poole,  and 
Kennicott." 

Besides  other  publications,  he  published  "Essays 
on  liberty  and  necessity."  To  these  Dr.  Edwards 
replied  in  a  volume  very  ably  written. 


WINTHROP,  JOHN,  LL.D.F.  R.  S.  a  distinguished 
philosopher  and  astronomer,  was  graduated  at  Har 
vard  college,  in  1732.  In  1738  he  succeeded  Mr. 
Greenwood,  as  Hollis  professor  of  mathematics  and 
nautical  philosophy,  and  was  more  eminent  for  his 
scholarship  than  any  other  man  in  New-England. 
In  mathematical  science  he  was  considered  as  the 
first,  during  the  40  years  he  continued  the  profes 
sor  at  Cambridge  university.  In  the  year  1740,  he 
made  observations  upon  the  transit  of  Mercury, 
which  were  printed  in  the  transactions  of  the  royal 
society. 

In  the  year  1761,  he  sailed  to  St.  Johns,  in  New 
foundland,  (as  it  was  the  most  western  part  of  the 
earth,)  to  observe  the  transit  of  Venus  over  the  sun's 
disk?  as  it  was  an  object  with  the  literati,  to  have 


observations  made  in  that  place.  The  6th  of 
June  was  a  fine  day  for  observing  the  transit  of 
the  planet,  and  he  gained  high  reputation  when 
these  observations  were  published.  In  1769,  he 
had  another  opportunity  of  observing  the  transit 
of  Venus  at  Cambridge.  As  it  was  the  last  oppor 
tunity  that  generation  could  be  favoured  with,  he 
was  desirous  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the  people. 
He  read  two  lectures  upon  the  subject  in  the  col 
lege  chapel,  which  he  afterwards  published,  with 
this  motto  upon  the  title  page  :  "  Agite  mortales  ! 
et  oculos  in  spectaculum  vertite,  quod  hucusce 
spectaverunt  perpaucissimi ;  Spectaturi  iterum  sunt 
nulli." 

He  received  literary  honours  from  other  coun 
tries  beside  his  own.  The  Royal  Society  of  Lon 
don  elected  him  a  member ;  and  the  university  of 
Edinburgh  gave  him  a  diploma  of  LL.  D. 

In  1767,  he  wrote  Cogitata  de  cometis,  which  he 
dedicated  to  the  Royal  Society.  This  was  re 
printed  in  London  the  next  year.  The  active  ser 
vices  of  Dr.  Winthrop  were  not  confined  to  his 
duties  of  professorship  at  Cambridge.  He  was  a 
brilliant  star  in  our  political  hemisphere.  The 
family  oftheWinthrops  had  always  been  distinguish 
ed  for  their  love  of  freedom  and  the  charter  rights 
of  the  colonies.  When  Great  Britain  made  en 
croachment  upon  these,  by  oppressive  acts  of  par 
liament,  after  the  peace  of  Paris  in  1763,  he  step 
ped  forth  among  those  who  boldly  opposed  the 
measures  of  the  crown.  After  having  been  a  pro 
fessor  for  more  than  forty  years,  he  died  at  Cam 
bridge,  May  3,  1779,  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his 
age.  Dr.  Winthrop  was  an  excellent  classical 
scholar,  and  also  a  biblical  critic.  The  learned 
Dr.  Chauncey  always  spake  of  him  as  one  of  the 
greatest  theologians  he  ever  met  with.  In  the 
variety  and  extent  of  his  knowledge  he  has  seldom 
been  equalled.  He  was  critically  acquainted  with 


several  of  the  modern  languages  of  Europe.  He 
had  deeply  studied  the  policies  of  different  ages  ; 
he  had  read  the  principal  fathers ;  and  he  was 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  controversy  be 
tween  Christians  and  deists.  His  firm  faith  in  the 
Christian  religion  was  founded  upon  an  accurate 
examination  of  the  evidences  of  its  truths,  and  the 
virtues  of  his  life  added  a  lustre  to  his  intellectual 
powers  and  scientific  attainments. 


WINTHROP,  JOHN,  first  governor  of  Massachu 
setts,  was  born  at  Groton,  in  Suffolk,  England, 
June  12,  1587,  and  was  bred  to  the  law.  He  em 
barked  for  America  in  the  forty-third  year  of  his 
age,  as  the  leader  of  those  persons  who  settled  the 
colony  of  Massachusetts,  and  with  a  commission 
as  governor.  He  arrived  at  Salem  June  12,  1630. 
He  afterwards  went  to  Shawmut,  or  Boston.  In 
the  three  following  years  he  was  re-chosen  gover 
nor,  for  which  office  he  was  eminently  qualified. 
His  time,  his  exertions,  his  interest,  were  all  devot 
ed  to  the  infant  plantation. 

In  1637,  he  was  again  re-elected  governor,  which 
office  he  held  until  his  death,  March  26,  1649. 

Governor  Winthrop  was  a  most  faithful  and  up 
right  magistrate  and  exemplary  Christian.  In  the 
course  of  his  life  he  repeatedly  experienced  the 
versatility  of  the  public  opinion ;  but  when  he  was 
left  out  of  office,  he  possessed  perfect  calmness  of 
mind,  and  still  exerted  himself  to  serve  his  coun 
try. 

In  severe  trials,  his  magnanimity,  wisdom,  and 
patience,  were  conspicuous. 

He  left  a  journal  of  events  from  the  settlement 
of  the  colony  to  his  death,  which  was  of  great  ser 
vice  to  Hubbard,  Mather,  and  Prince. 

It  was  published  in  1790,  in  one  volume  8vo. 


828 

WITHERSPOON,  JoHN,DD.  LL.  D.  one  of  the  sign 
ers  of  the  declaration  of  independence,  and  presi 
dent  of  Princeton  college,  was  born  in  Yester,  near 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  February  5,  1722,  and  was 
lineally  descended  from  John  Knox.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen,  he  entered  the  university  of  Edinburgh, 
where  he  continued  attending  the  different  profes 
sors  with  a  great  degree  of  celebrity,  in  all  the 
branches  of  learning,  until  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
when  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel.  When 
a  student  at  the  Divinity  Hall,  his  character  stood 
remarkably  high  for  his  taste  in  sacred  criticism, 
and  for  a  precision  in  thinking,  rarely  attained  at 
so  early  a  period.  He  was  soon  ordained  at  Beith, 
in  the  west  of  Scotland.  Thence,  after  a  few  years, 
he  was  translated  to  Paisley.  Here  he  lived  in 
high  reputation  and  great  usefulness,  until  he  was 
called  to  the  presidency  of  Princeton  college.  He 
arrived  with  his  family  at  Princeton,  New-Jersey, 
August,  1768,  and  took  the  charge  of  that  seminary, 
over  which  had  presided  a  Dickinson,  Burr,  Ed 
wards,  Davies,  and  Finley,  men  distinguished  for 
genius,  learning,  and  piety.  His  name  brought  a 

freat  accession  of  students  to  the  college,  and  by 
is  exertions  its  funds  were  much  augmented.  Dr. 
Witherspoon  continued  directing  the  institution  of 
which  he  was  president,  with  increasing  success, 
till  the  commencement  of  the  American  revolution  ; 
which  event  suspended  his  functions,  and  dispers 
ed  the  college.  As  he  became  an  American  on 
his  landing  in  this  country,  the  citizens  of  New- 
Jersey,  who  knew  his  distinguished  abilities,  ap 
pointed  him  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
formed  the  constitution  of  that  state.  Here  he 
shone  with  his  usual  lustre  ;  eminent  as  a  profound 
civilian,  as  he  had  before  been  known  to  be  a 
philosopher  and  divine.  From  the  revolutionary 
committees  and  conventions  of  the  state,  he  was 
sent  early  in  1776  a  representative  to  the 
of  the  United  States. 


He  was  seven  years  a  member  of  that  illustrious 
body,  which,  in  the  face  of  immeniorable  difficul 
ties  and  dangers  secured  to  their  fellow  citizens 
liberty  and  independence. 

Dr.Witherspoon  was  always  firm  amidst  the  most 
gloomy  and  formidable  aspects  of  public  affairs, 
and  always  discovered  the  greatest  presence  of 
mind  in  the  most  embarrassing  situations.  It  is 
impossible  here  to  enter  into  all  his  political  ideas. 
It  is  but  justice,  however,  to  observe,  that  on  al 
most  all  subjects  on  which  he  differed  from  the 
majority  of  his  brethren  in  congress,  his  principles 
have  been  justified  by  the  result. 

It  is  sufficient  to  select  only  a  few  examples, 
He  constantly  opposed  the  expensive  mode  of 
supplying  the  army  by  commission,  which  he  after 
wards  prevailed  upon  to  have  done  by  contract. 
He  opposed,  at  every  emission,  after  the  first  or 
second,  that  paper-currency  which  gave  such  a 
wound  to  public  credit,  and  which  would  have 
defeated  the  revolution,  if  'any  thing  could  ;  and 
even  hazarded  his  popularity  for  a  time,  by  the 
strenuousness  of  his  opposition.  In  the  informa 
tion  of  the  general  confederation,  he  complained 
of  the  jealousy  and  ambition  of  the  individual 
states,  which  were  not  willing  to  intrust  the  ge 
neral  government  with  adequate  powers  for  the 
common  interest.  He  then  pronounced  inefficacy 
upon  it :  but  he  complained  and  remonstrated  in 
vain.  Overruled,  however,  at  that  time,  in  these 
and  other  objects  of  importance,  he  had  the  satis 
faction  of  living  to  see  America  revert,  in  almost 
every  instance,  to  his  original  ideas  ;  ideas  founded 
on  a  sound  and  penetrating  judgment,  and  matur 
ed  by  deep  reflection,  and  an  extensive  observa 
tion  of  men  and  things.  He  affixed  his  name  tQ 
that  immortal  instrument,  the  declaration  of  inde 
pendence. 

But  while  he  was  thus  engaged  in  serving  his 
country  as  a  civilian,  he  did  not  lay  aside  his 

42 


character  as  a  minister.  He  gladly  embraced  every 
opportunity  of  preaching ;  for  his  character  as  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  he  ever  considered  as  his 
highest  honour.  As  soon  as  the  state  of  the  coun 
try  would  permit,  the  college  was  re-established, 
and  its  instruction  was  recommenced  under  the 
immediate  care  of  the  vice-president,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
S.  S.  Smith.  After  the  termination  of  the  struggle 
for  American  liberty,  Dr. Witherspoon  was  induced 
from  his  attachment  to  the  college  to  cross  the 
ocean,  that  he  might  promote  its  benefit.  Though 
his  success  was  not  so  great  as  could  be  wished, 
his  enterprise  and  zeal  were  not  the  less  deserving 
of  commendation.  After  his  return,  he  entered 
into  that  retirement  which  was  dear  to  him,  and 
his  attention  was  principally  confined  to  the  duties 
of  his  office  as  president,  and  as  a  minister  of  the 
gospel.  For  more  than  two  years  before  his  death 
he  was  afflicted  with  the  loss  of  sight,  which  he 
bore  with  exemplary  patience  and  cheerfulness. 
At  length  he  sunk  under  the  pressure  of  his  in 
firmities,  and  died  November  15,  1794,  in  the  se 
venty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  succeeded  by 
that  celebrated  philosopher  and  divine,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
S.  S.  Smith. 

As  president  of  the  college,  Dr.  Witherspoon 
rendered  literary  inquiries  more  liberal,  extensive, 
and  profound,  and  was  the  means  of  producing  an 
important  revolution  in  the  system  of  education. 
He  extended  the  study  of  mathematical  science, 
and  it  is  believed  he  was  the  first  man  who  taught 
in  America  the  substance  of  those  doctrines  of  the 
philosophy  of  the  mind,  which  Dr.  Reid  afterwards 
developed  with  so  much  success.  As  a  preacher, 
his  character  stood  remarkably  high.  In  this  de 
partment,  he  was  in  many  respects  one  of  the  best 
models  on  which  a  young  pulpit  orator  could  form 
himself.  An  admirable  textuary  ;  a  profound  theo 
logian  ;  an  universal  scholar;  he  was  deeply  versed 
in  human  nature :  he  was  perspicuous,  simple,  a 


grave,  dignified,  and  solemn  speaker,  and  irresist 
ible  in  his  manners  ;  and  he  brought  all'the  advan 
tages  derived  from  these  sources,  to  the  illustra 
tion  and  enforcement  of  divine  truth. 

As  a  writer  he  holds  a  high  rank.  His  know 
ledge  of  every  subject  he  handles  is  extensive  and 
accurate,  his  thoughts  weighty  and  condensed,  his 
style  simple,  and  his  method  very  lucid.  He  ex 
hibits  great  acquaintance  with  the  world,  and  with 
the  human  heart.  His  works  are  various,  for  he 
wrote  on  political,  moral,  literary?  and  religious 
subjects. 

They  were  published  in  1802,  in  four  volumes 
8vo. 


WISTAR,  CASPAR,  M.  D.  a  learned  physician  and 
celebrated  anatomist,  was  born  in  Philadelphia, 
September  13,  1761. 

On  receiving  a  classical  education,  he  applied 
himself  to  the  study  of  medicine  under  Dr.  John 
Redman,  president  of  the  college  of  physicians, 
with  whom  he  remained  three  years.  In  the  mean 
time  he  attended  the  lectures  of  Drs.  Shippen, 
Morgan,  Kuhn,  and  Rush. 

Instead  of  entering  immediately  into  the  prac 
tice  of  medicine,  he  left  America  in  the  year  1783, 
to  avail  himself  of  the  advantages  to  be  found  in 
the  schools  of  London  and  Edinburgh,  at  that  time 
the  first  in  the  world. 

Having  remained  a  year  in  England,  he  repaired 
to  Edinburgh,  where  he  passed  his  time  in  attend 
ing  lectures  and  cultivating  the  friendship  of  dis 
tinguished  persons. 

In  1785,  he  made  a  journey  on  foot  through 
parts  of  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  and  visited 
Glasgow,  Inverary,  and  Inverness.  He  particular 
ly  enjoyed  the  esteem  and  friendship  of  the  great 


3m 

Cullen.  For  two  successive  years  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  presidents  of  the  Royal  Medical  Society 
of  Edinburgh.  He  was  also  elected  president  of 
the  society  for  the  investigation  of  natural  history. 
These  honours,  conferred  by  a  great,  a  learned, 
and  proud  nation,  on  a  youth,  whose  country  had 
but  just  risen  into  existence,  are  the  surest  testi 
mony  of  uncommon  merit. 

In  June,  1786,  he  graduated  at  Edinburgh,  and 
published  on  this  occasion  his  thesis  "  de  animo 
demisso :''  dedicated  to  Drs.  Franklin  and  Cullen. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  year  1786,  he  took  leave 
of  Edinburgh,  on  his  return  to  America.  His  fame 
flew  before  him  to  his  native  city,  where  he  arrived 
in  January  1787,  after  an  absence  of  more  than 
three  years. 

With  talents  matured,  his  mind  enriched  with  the 
fruits  of  study  and  experience,  he  now  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine  with  every  advantage. 
Being  eminent,  both  in  medicine  and  surgery,  his 
practice  soon  became  very  extensive. 

In  the  same  year  he  was  elected  a  member  of 
the  college  of  physicians,  and  of  the  American  Phi 
losophical  Society. 

In  1789,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  chymis- 
try,  and  in  1792  adjunct-professor  of  anatomy  and 
surgery  with  the  late  Dr.  Shippen,  one  of  the  fa 
thers  of  the  medical  school  of  Philadelphia. 

On  the  death  of  Dr.  Shippen,  in  1808,  he  was 
elected  as  sole  professor  in  the  anatomical  chair. 

It  was  here  that  the  scene  of  his  greatest  excel 
lence  was  exhibited.  In  many  departments  of 
science,  he  was  conspicuous,  but  here  pre-eminent. 

In  his  language  he  was  fluent,  and  in  the  com 
munications  of  his  ideas  he  had  a  facility  never  at 
tained  but  by  great  masters. 

He  was  the  first  who  observed  and  described 
the  posterior  portion  of  the  ethmoid  bone  in  its 
most  perfect  state,  viz.  with  the  triangular  bones 
attached  to  it. 


•Q'O'tl 

000 

In  1815,  he  was  elected  an  honorary  member  of 
the  literary  and  philosophical  society  of  New-York, 
and  the  same  honour  was  conferred  on  him  by 
other  literary  institutions.  In  the  same  year,  on 
the  resignation  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  he  was  uriani 
mously  elected  president  of  the  American  Philo 
sophical  Society.  He  died  January  22,  1818. 

His  understanding  was  rather  strong  than  bril 
liant.  Truth  was  its  object.  His  mind  was  pa 
tient  of  labour,  curious  in  research,  clear,  although 
not  rapid  in  perception,  and  sure  in  judgment.  His 
information  was  remarkably  accurate,  and  possess 
ed  a  memory  extremely  tenacious. 

As  an  anatomist  he  was  not  equalled  in  the 
United  States,  nor  excelled  in  any  country. 

As  an  author,  he  published  a  "  System  of  Ana 
tomy,"  two  volumes  8vo.  1814:  besides  anonymous 
essays,  and  others  which  had  his  signature,  are 
printed  in  the  transactions  of  the  college  of  phy 
sicians,  and  in  the  transactions  of  the  American 
Philosophical  Society. 


WILKINSON,  JAMES,  a  major-general  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Calvert  county, 
Maryland,  about  the  year  1757. 

He  was  educated  under  the  care  of  a  private  tu 
tor,  a  graduate  of  the  university  of  Glasgow,  and  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  commenced  the  study  of  me 
dicine. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
his  military  spirit  burst  its  fetters.  Anxious  to  be 
numbered  with  the  defenders  of  his  country,  and 
repel  foreign  invasion,  he  repaired  to  head-quarters 
at  Cambridge,  and  on  his  arrival  received  from  the 
commander-in-chief,  a  captain's  commission. 

In  1777,  he  was  appointed  a  major,  and  shortly 
afterwards  participated  in  the  victory  and  capture 


of  Burgoyne  and  his  army.  In  the  battles  of  Tren 
ton,  Princeton,  and  Brandywine,  for  his  gallantry 
and  good  conduct  he  was  promoted  by  congress  to 
the  rank  of  brigadier-general. 

President  Washington  afterwards  appointed  him 
to  the  command  of  the  posts  on  the  Missisippi. 

During  the  late  war  with  Great  Britain,  after 
taking  possession  of  the  country  west  of  the  Per- 
dido,  and  capturing  the  post  at  Mobile,  he  was 
transferred  to  the  command  of  the  northern  army, 
with  the  rank  of  major-general.  After  several  un 
successful  attempts  to  take  possession  of  Canada, 
he  was  obliged  to  retire  from  actual  service  on  ac 
count  of  the  pressing  infirmities  of  age. 

He  has  published,  "Memoirs  of  his  own  times," 
in  three  volumes  8vo. 


WYTHE,  GEORGE,  chancellor  of  Virginia,  and  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  independence, 
was  born  in  the  year  1726,  in  the  county  of  Eliza 
beth  City,  Virginia.  His  mother,  a  woman  of  great 
acquirements,  superintended  his  education,  and 
taught  him  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages.  To 
grammar,  rhetoric,  and  logic,  he  added  by  his  own 
exertions,  at  an  early  age,  an  extensive  acquaint 
ance  with  civil  law;  a  profound  knowledge  of 
mathematics,  as  well  of  natural  and  moral  philoso 
phy.  Of  these  various  attainments,  so  honourable 
to  his  industry  and  genius,  much  of  the  merit,  no 
doubt  very  justly,  is  ascribed  to  the  affectionate 
and  tender  zeal  of  his  mother.  Of  this  excellent 
parent,  he  was  bereaved  during  his  minority.  And 
in  a  short  time  after,  he  lost  his  amiable  father. 
Being  thus  in  the  possession  of  money,  like  many 
unthinking  youths,  he  commenced  a  career  of  dis 
sipation  and  intemperance,  and  did  not  disengage 
himself  from  it  before  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
thirty.  He  then  bitterly  lamented  the  loss  of  those 


, 

nine  years  of  his  life,  and  of  the  learning  wKcl 
during  that  period,  he  might  have  acquired.  But 
never  did  any  man  more  effectually  redeem  his 
time.  From  the  moment,  when  he  resolved  on 
reformation,  he  devoted  himself  most  intensely  to 
his  studies. 

He  commenced  the  study  of  the  law  in  the  office 
of  the  late  John  Lewis,  Esq.  and  at  an  early  period 
was  licensed  to  practise  in  the  courts  of  Virginia. 
He  took  his  station  at  the  bar  of  the  old  general 
court,  with  many  other  great  men  whose  merit  has 
been  the  boast  of  Virginia.  For  a  short  time  he  con 
tinued  their  equal  ;  but  by  reason  of  his  extensive 
learning,  correctness  of  elocution,  and  his  logical 
style  of  argument,  he  quickly  arrived  at  the  head  of 
the  bar. 

When  the  time  arrived,  which  heaven  had  des 
tined  for  the  separation  of  the  wide,  confederated 
republic  of  America  from  the  dominion  of  Great 
Britain,  he  was  one  of  the  instruments  in  the  hand 
of  Providence  for  accomplishing  that  great  work. 
He  took  a  decided  part  in  the  very  first  move 
ments  of  opposition,  and  urged  his  fellow  citizens 
to  open  resistance.  With  a  prophetic  mind  he 
looked  forward  to  the  event  of  an  approaching 
war,  and  resolutely  prepared  to  encounter  all  its 
evils  rather  than  to  resign  his  attachment  to  liber 
ty.  As  the  controversy  grew  warm,  his  zeal  be 
came  proportionally  fervent.  He  joined  a  corps 
of  volunteers,  accustomed  himself  to  military  dis 
cipline,  and  was  ready  to  march  at  the  call  of  his 
country.  But  that  country  to  whose  interests  he 
was  so  sincerely  attached,  had  other  duties  of  more 
importance  for  him  to  perform.  It  was  his  destiny  to 
obtain  distinction  as  a  statesman,  legislator,  and 
judge,  and  not  as  a  warrior.  Before  the  war  com 
menced,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Virginia 
assembly.  After  having  been  for  some  time  speaker 
of  that  enlightened  and  patriotic  body,  and  render 
ing  himself  conspicuous  as  the  vindicator  of  the 


.336 

rights  and  privileges  of  his  injured  countrymen, 
he  was  sent  by  the  members  of  that  body,  as  one 
of  their  delegates  to  the  congress  which  met  at 
Philadelphia  in  May,  1775,  and  did  not  separate 
until  it  had  declared  the  independence  of  America. 
In  that  august  assembly,  he  possessed  no  small 
share  of  influence.  He  was  one  of  those  who 
signed  the  memorable  declaration,  by  which  the 
heroic  legislators  of  this  country  pledged  "their 
lives,  their  fortunes,  and  their  sacred  honours,"  to 
maintain  and  defend  its  violated  rights. 

In  November  following,  by  a  resolution  of  the 
general  assembly  of  Virginia,  he  was  appointed 
one  of  the  committee  to  revise  the  laws  of  the  com 
monwealth,  and  to  prepare  bills  for  re-enacting 
them,  with  such  alterations  as  the  change  in  the 
form  and  principles  of  the  government,  and  other 
circumstances,  required  of  this  extensive  work  of 
legislation.  Wythe  executed  the  revision  of  those 
laws  which  had  been  enacted  during  the  period 
commencing  with  the  revolution  in  England,  and 
ending  with  the  establishment  of  the  new  govern 
ment  here,  except  the  acts  for  regulating  descents ; 
for  religious  freedom ;  and  for  proportioning  crimes 
and  punishments ;  which  were  part  of  the  labours 
of  Mr.  Jefferson. 

After  finishing  the  task  of  new  modelling  the 
laws,  he  was  employed  to  carry  them  into  effect 
according  to  their  true  intent  and  spirit,  and  was 
appointed  one  of  the  three  judges  of  the  high  court 
of  chancery  of  Virginia:  but  on  a  subsequent 
change  in  the  organization  of  the  court  of  equity, 
he  was  constituted  sole  chancellor:  which  high 
station  he  rilled  with  the  strictest  integrity  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  Whilst  in  this  office,  he  pub 
lished  a  collection  of  chancery  reports,  which  by 
legal  characters  are  held  high  in  estimation. 

In  1786,  he  was  appointed  a  delegate  to  meet 
the  grand  convention  at  Philadelphia  to  revise  the 
federal  constitution.  His  country  never  losing 


sight  of  his  distinguished  patriotism  and  abilities, 
when  occasion  required  his  services,  we  again 
find  him  a  conspicuous  member  of  the  great  public 
body  which  assembled  at  Richmond  in  1788,  to 
take  into  view  the  adoption  or  rejection  of  the  late 
ly  framed  constitution  of  the  United  States.  Dur 
ing  the  debates  on  this  occasion,  he  acted  for  the 
most  part  as  chairman.  Amidst  all  his  public  ser 
vices,  throughout  all  his  private  life,  the  devotion 
of  Wythe  to  his  country,  his  scrupulous  discharge 
of  the  duties  of  his  office,  and  his  universal  bene 
volence  of  disposition,  were  eminently  apparent. 
Some  of  the  greatest  luminaries  at  the  bar,  and  in 
the  senate,  that  Virginia  has  produce J,  were  in 
structed  in  science,  and  led  up  the  steep  of  fame 
by  George  Wythe.  In  the  list  of  his  pupils  we 
may  enumerate  two  presidents  of  the  United  States, 
a  chief  justice,  and  others  who  by  their  abilities  and 
virtues  are  entitled  to  the  most  distinguished  ho 
nours  of  their  country.  He  presided  twice  suc 
cessively  in  the  presidential  electoral  college  of 
Virginia,  with  great  distinction  and  applause.  His 
political  opinions  were  always  firmly  republican. 
He  died,  after  a  short  but  very  excruciating  sick 
ness,  on  the  8th  June,  1806,  in  the  eighty-first  year 
of  his  age. 

President  Jefferson,  who  was  the  friend  of  his 
age,  and  his  compatriot  through  life,  thus  draws 
the  portrait  of  this  extraordinary  man:  "No  man 
ever  left  behind  him  a  character  more  venerated 
than  George  Wythe.  His  virtue  was  of  the  purest 
kind;  his  integrity  inflexible,  and  his  justice  exact ; 
of  warm  patriotism,  and  devoted  as  he  was  to  li 
berty,  and  the  natural  and  equal  rights  of  men, 
he  might  be  truly  called  the  Cato  of  his  country, 
without  the  avarice  of  the  Roman ;  for  a  more  dis 
interested  person  never  lived.  Temperance  and 
regularity  in  all  his  habits,  gave  him  general  good 
health,  and  his  unaffected  modesty  and  suavity  of 
manners  endeared  him  to  every  one.  He  was  of 

43 


338 

easy  elocution,  his  language  chaste,  methodical  in 
the  arrangement  of  his  matter,  learned  and  logical 
in  the  use  of  it,  and  of  great  urbanity  in  debate. 
Not  quick  of  apprehension,  but  with  a  little  time, 
profound  in  penetration,  and  sound  in  conclusion. 

His  stature  was  of  the  middle  size,  well  formed 
and  proportioned,  and  the  features  vof  his  face 
manly,  comely,  and  engaging.  Such  was  George 
Wythe,  the  honour  of  his  own,  and  model  of  future 
times." 

By  his  last  will  and  testament  he  bequeathed 
his  valuable  library  and  philosophical  apparatus  to 
his  friend  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  distributed  the  re 
mainder  of  his  property  among  the  grandchildren 
of  his  sister,  and  the  slaves  whom  he  had  set  free. 
He  thus  wished  to  liberate  the  blacks  not  only 
from  slavery,  but  from  temptations  to  vice.  He 
even  condescended  to  impart  to  them  instruction ; 
and  he  personally  taught  the  Greek  language  to  a 
little  negro  boy,  who  died  a  few  days  before  his 
preceptor. 


WASHINGTON,  GEORGE,  first  president  of  the 
United  States,  and  a  distinguished  patriot,  hero, 
and  statesman,  was  born  at  the  seat  of  his  ances 
tors,  in  Westmoreland  county,  Virginia,  February 
22,  1732.  He  was  educated  under  the  care  of  a 
private  tutor,  and  after  making  rapid  progress  in 
the  languages,  mathematics,  and  engineering,  he 
embraced  the  military  profession.  His  abilities 
were  first  employed  by  governor  Dinwiddie,  in 
1754,  in  making  remonstrances  to  the  French  com 
mander  on  the  Ohio,  for  the  infraction  of  the  trea 
ty  between  the  two  nations,  and  he  afterwards  ne 
gotiated  a  treaty  of  amity  with  the  Indians,  on  the 
back  settlements ;  and  for  his  honourable  services 
received  the  thanks  of  the  British  government. 
In  the  unfortunate  expedition  of  general  Braddock. 


'*     *  *• 


''i/fj  V 


i 


.539 

he  served  as  his  aid-de-camp,  and  when  that  brave 
but  rash  commander  fell  in  an  ambush,  he  dis 
played  great  military  talents  in  conducting  the  re 
treat  to  the  corps  under  colonel  Dunbar,  and  in  the 
saving  the  remains  of  the  army,  from  a  dangerous 
and  untenable  position. 

During  the  remainder  of  the  war  between  Eng 
land  and  France,  which  in  their  American  colo 
nies,  raged  with  a  spirit  of  exterminating  fury, 
he  was  looked  up  to  as  the  source  and  director  of 
all  military  operations,  whether  intended  for  an 
noyance  or  protection. 

After  the  termination  of  the  French  war  he  re 
tired  to  his  valuable  estate  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  to  which  he  had  succeeded  by  the  death 
of  his  brother.  But  while  engaged  at  his  favourite 
seat  of  Mount  Vernon,  in  the  peaceful  employments 
of  an  agriculturist,  he  also  served  as  a  member 
of  the  house  of  burgesses  of  Virginia,  till  he  was 
called  again  into  the  service  of  his  country,  by  the 
proceedings  preparatory  to  the  American  revolution. 
In  1774,  he  was  one  of  the  seven  distinguished 
citizens,  who  represented  Virginia  in  the  first  con 
gress  that  met  at  Philadelphia,  and  was  placed  on 
all  those  committees,  whose  duty  it  was  to  make 
arrangements  for  defence.  In  the  following  year 
a  defensive  wrar  against  the  oppressive  usurpations 
of  Great  Britain  having  been  agreed  on  by  that 
august  and  enlightened  body,  he  was  unanimous 
ly  appointed  commander-in-chief  of  the  armies  of 
America.  This  high  trust  he  accepted  with  diffi 
dence,  and  expressed  his  intention  of  receiving  no 
compensation  for  his  services,  and  only  a  mere  dis 
charge  of  his  expenses.  Among  the  friends  of 
liberty  his  appointment  was  productive  of  confi 
dence  and  hope,  satisfaction,  and  joy. 

He  immediately  repaired  to  Cambridge,  Massa 
chusetts,  and  formed  the  army  into  three  divisions. 
Here  he  had  to  struggle  with  great  difficulties,  the 
want  of  arms,  ammunition,  clothing,  and  the  defect 


of  discipline ;  but  instead  of  yielding  to  despon 
dence,  he  bent  the  whole  force  of  his  mind  to  over 
come  them. 

As  soon  as  he  could  rely  upon  his  troops,  he  be 
came  anxious  for  an  opportunity  to  meet  the  enemy. 

In  February,  1776,  he  proposed  to  a  council  of 
his  officers  to  attack  the  enemy  in  Boston,  but  they 
unanimously  disapproved  of  the  daring  measure. 
It  was,  however,  resolved  to  take  possession  of  the 
heights  of  Dorchester,  which  was  accordingly 
done ;  and  by  this  masterly  movement,  the  enemy 
found  it  necessary  to  evacuate  the  town. 

The  seat  of  war  was  afterwards  removed  to 
New- York  and  New- Jersey,  where  the  British,  had 
brought  to  operate  the  whole  of  their  disposable 
force,  which  was  computed  at  55,000  men,  while 
that  of  the  Americans  did  not  exceed  27,000,  of 
these  a  large  proportion  was  militia.  On  the  27th 
of  August,  in  the  memorable  battle  of  Long-Island, 
the  Americans  experienced  an  entire  defeat.  In 
this  affair  general  Sullivan  commanded  in  person, 
while  he  was  only  a  spectator  of  the  scene.  He 
however  assumed,  in  the  following  night,  the  im 
mediate  superintendence  of  the  evacuation  of 
Long-Island,  in  the  execution  of  which,  he  effected 
one  of  the  most  renowned  retreats  that  is  any 
where  recorded  in  military  annals. 

Forced  from  his  position  in  New-York,  he  re 
treated  to  the  White  Plains,  where  on  the  28th 
October,  a  considerable  action  took  place,  in  which 
the  Americans  were  overpowered.  After  the  loss 
of  forts  Washington  and  Lee,  he  passed  into  New- 
Jersey  in  November,  where  he  was  pursued  by  a 
triumphant  and  numerous  enemy.  Here,  his  diffi 
culties  and  embarrassments,  dangers  and  suffer 
ings,  were  inconceivably  great.  His  army  was 
daily  diminished  by  sickness,  desertions,  and  other 
misfortunes  incidental  to  war.  The  few  that  re 
mained  faithful  to  his  standard,  did  not  amount  to 
3000  men.  When  winter  commenced  thev  were 


341 

bare  footed  and  almost  naked,  and  destitute  of 
every  comfort;  and  every  circumstance  tended  to 
fill  the  minds  of  the  votaries  of  freedom  with  des 
pondence.  But  his  mind,  great  at  all  times,  but 
greatest  in  adversity,  rose  above  every  obstacle, 
and  did  not  despair  of  the  success  of  his  cause. 
Inflexible  in  his  determination  to  save  his  country, 
or  perish  in  the  conflict,  he  infused  into  his  fol 
lowers  the  same  resolution.  It  was  hence,  under 
Providence,  that  the  arms  of  America  were  render 
ed  invincible.  In  this  critical  situation,  he  was 
only  separated  from  the  enemy  by  the  river  Dela 
ware.  Anxious  to  remove  the  depression  which 
hung  like  a  mildew  on  the  public  mind,  he  resolv 
ed  to  cross  the  Delaware,  and  become  the  assail 
ant.  Accordingly  on  the  night  of  the  25th  Decem 
ber,  he  crossed  the  river  nine  miles  above  Trenton, 
in  a  storm  of  hail  mingled  with  rain,  with  about 
2400  men.  In  the  morning,  about  8  o'clock,  he 
surprised  Trenton,  and  took  1000  Hessians  pri 
soners,  with  about  1000  stand  of  arms,  and  six 
field  pieces.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  were  two 
privates  killed  and  two  frozen  to  death.  On  the 
same  day  he  re-crossed  the  Delaware  with  the 
fruits  of  his  enterprise.  In  a  day  or  two  he  passed 
again  into  New-Jersey,  and  concentrated  his  forces 
at  Trenton.  Lord  Cornwallis  on  hearing  of  this 
disaster,  marched  immediately  with  all  his  forces, 
bent  on  retrieving  this  misfortune.  Having,  on  the 
evening  of  the  2d  of  January,  1777,  taken  a  posi 
tion,  which  in  his  opinion,  placed  the  American 
army  completely  in  his  power,  he  encamped  for  the 
night,  confident  of  making  a  successful  attack  in 
the  morning.  At  this  critical  moment,  when  it 
was  hazardous  if  not  impracticable  to  retreat  into 
Pennsylvania,  he  left  his  encampment  in  the  night, 
and  moved  off  to  the  left  of  the  enemy,  and  early 
in  the  morning,  attacked  and  overthrew,  a  strong 
detachment  of  the  enemy,  that  was  stationed  at 
Princeton.  The  loss  of  the  British  on  this  occa- 


sion  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  amounted 
to  upwards  of  600.  During  this  march  many  of 
his  soldiers  were  without  shoes,  and  their  feet  left 
the  marks  of  blood  upon  the  frozen  ground.  Corn- 
wallis  in  the  morning  broke  up  his  camp,  and 
alarmed  for  his  stores  at  Brunswick,  pushed  on  the 
pursuit.  Thus  the  military  genius  of  general 
Washington,  under  the  blessing  of  Divine  Provi 
dence,  rescued  Philadelphia  from  the  threatened 
danger,  obliged  the  enemy,  which  had  overspread 
New-Jersey,  to  return  to  New-York,  and  revived 
the  desponding  spirit  of  his  country.  No  sooner 
had  the  news  of  these  successful  operations  reach 
ed  the  court  of  Versailles,  than  France  became  the 
ally  of  the  United  States. 

After  sundry  instances  of  generalship  and  mili 
tary  address  in  the  state  of  New-Jersey,  in  which 
he  manifested  a  decided  ascendency  over  the  Bri 
tish  commander,  he,  in  compliance  with  the  di 
rections  of  congress,  and  the  wishes  of  the  public, 
rather  than  from  the  dictates  of  his  own  judgment, 
engaged  the  enemy  in  the  celebrated  battle  at  Bran 
dy  wine,  September  9,  1777,  and  suffered  a  defeat. 
Cornwallis,  soon  after  took  possession  of  Philadel 
phia,  and  posted  a  strong  division  of  his  army  at 
Germantown.  This  division,  general  Washington 
determined  to  attack,  a  measure  which  he  effected 
on  the  morning  of  the  4th  October.  The  affair 
was  planned  with  great  wisdom,  and  promised,  at 
first,  a  glorious  issue,  but  from  unforseen  causes, 
the  enterprise  failed. 

Towards  the  close  of  December,  he  retired  into 
winter-quarters  at  Valley  Forge.  Here,  the  forti 
tude  and  patience  of  his  soldiers  experienced  a 
trial  almost  too  severe  for  human  nature  to  endure. 
For  a  time  they  were  unfed,  unclothed,  and  without 
a  shelter  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. — 
Nothing  but  the  personal  influence  of  their  much- 
loved  commander,  could  have  retained  them  in  ser 
vice.  The  mere  principles  of  military  compact 


343 

would  have  been  insufficient  for  the  purpose.  But 
the  dissolution  of  the  army  at  this  period  would 
have  been  the  loss  of  freedom. 

In  the  mean  time,  he,  in  his  personal  and  official 
character,  sustained  the  utmost  injustice  and  wrong. 
Moved  by  envy,  or  something  worse,  a  faction  of 
malcontents  was  formed  to  remove  him  from  com 
mand,  and  to  appoint  in  his  place  general  Gates, 
whose  successes  of  late  had  given  him  a  high  re 
putation.  But  his  name  was  too  dear  to  the  great 
body  of  Americans  to  admit  of  such  a  change,  and 
the  meditated  mischief  recoiled  on  themselves. 
The  British  army  having  abandoned  Philadelphia 
on  the  17th  and  18th  of  June,  1778,  he  pursued 
them,  annoying  them  in  their  march  through  the 
state  of  New-Jersey. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  he  met  the  enemy  on  the 
plains  of  Monmouth,  and  after  a  hard  fought  battle, 
he  obliged  them  to  retire  from  the  field.  General 
Washington  slept  in  his  cloak  on  the  field  of  battle, 
intending  to  renew  the  attack  next  morning;  but  at 
midnight  the  British  troops  marched  off  in  such 
silence,  as  not  to  be  discovered.  The  loss  of  the 
British  was  300,  while  that  of  the  Americans  was 
69.  Thus  after  the  vicissitudes  of  two  years  war, 
both  armies  were  brought  back  to  the  point  from 
which  they  set  out. 

In  the  two  succeeding  campaigns,  it  did  not  fall 
to  the  lot  of  the  commander-in-chief  to  be  person 
ally  concerned  in  any  very  distinguished  military 
events.  But  his  active  and  capacious  mind  had 
full  employment  in  the  public  service  ;  in  the 
council  chamber  of  the  nation  as  well  as  in  the 
field.  In  January,  1780,  a  winter  memorable  for 
its  severity,  his  utmost  exertions  were  necessary 
to  save  the  army  from  dissolution.  The  soldiers  in 
general  submitted  with  heroic  patience  to  the  want 
of  provisions  and  clothes.  Their  sufferings  at 
length  were  so  great,  that  two  regiments  actually 


344 

mutinied,  but  by  his  exertions  it  was  timely  sup 
pressed,  and  the  ringleaders  secured. 

In  September,  1780,  the  treachery  of  Arnold 
was  detected. 

In  September,  1781,  lord  Cornwallis  having  pe 
netrated  from  the  south,  with  an  army  of  10,000 
strong,  took  possession  of  Yorktown,  in  Virginia. 

In  the  meantime,  general  Washington,  at  the 
head  of  the  combined  force  of  French  and  Ameri 
cans,  marching  from  Williamsburgh,  proceeded  to 
invest  the  enemy's  position.  The  siege  com 
menced  on  the  28th  September,  and  continued  un 
til  the  19th  of  October,  when  the  British  force  was 
compelled  to  surrender  themselves  prisoners  of 
war.  This  event  filled  America  with  joy,  and  was 
the  means  of  terminating  the  glorious  contest. 
On  the  19th  April,  1782,  a  cessation  of  hostilities 
took  place. 

In  March,  1783,  he  exhibited  his  characteristic 
firmness  in  opposing  an  attempt  to  produce  a  mu 
tiny  by  anonymous  letters.  His  address  to  his 
officers  on  the  occasion  displays,  in  a  remarkable 
degree,  his  prudence  and  the  correctness  of  his 
judgment,  and  was  the  happy  means  of  repressing 
the  spirit  which  was  brealdng  forth.  In  June,  he 
addressed  a  letter  to  the  governors  of  the  several 
states,  congratulating  them  on  the  result  of  the 
contest  in  the  establishment  of  independence,  and 
recommending  an  indissoluble  union  of  the  states 
tinder  one  federal  head,  a  sacred  regard  to  public 
justice,  the  adoption  of  a  proper  peace  establish 
ment,  and  the  prevalence  of  a  friendly  disposition 
among  the  people  of  the  several  states.  After  the 
evacuation  of  New-York,  he  entered  it,  accompa 
nied  by  governor  Clinton  and  many  respectable 
citizens. 

On  the  4th  of  December,  after  having  taken  a 
most  solemn  and  affecting  leave  of  his  companions 
in  arms,  he  proceeded  to  Annapolis,  when  congress 
was  in  session.  Here  with  no  less  solemnity,  and 


in  a  manner  equally  affecting,  he  took  leave  also 
of  them,  after  surrendering  into  the  hands  of  their 
president  his  commission  which  he  had  borne  dur 
ing  eight  years  of  solicitude  and  peril,  exertion,  and 
glory.  He  then  retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  to  enjoy 
again  the  pleasures  of  domestic  life. 

In  1786,  he  was  convinced,  with  other  states 
men,  of  the  necessity  of  substituting  a  more  vigor 
ous  government,  and  was,  in  1787,  again  called 
from  domestic  retirement,  to  take  a  seat  in  the  con 
vention,  which  formed  the  present  constitution,  and 
over  which,  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  his  col 
leagues,  he  was  appointed  to  preside. 

On  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  he  was  una 
nimously  elected  president  of  the  United  States. 

His  elevation  to  this  office  was  productive,  at 
once,  of  universal  joy  and  reviving  hope.  On  his 
journey  to  the  seat  of  government,  he  was  every 
where  saluted  with  honours  and  distinctions  worthy 
of  the  father  and  protector  of  his  country.  On  his 
arrival  at  New-York,  he  was  inducted  into  office  on 
the  30th  April,  1789,  and  at  once  entered  upon  the 
arduous  and  exalted  duties  which  it  imposed.  Of 
the  wisdom  and  ability  with  which  these  duties 
were  discharged,  the  happy  and  glorious  result  of 
his  administration  can  best  testify.  For  the  libe 
rality  of  its  views,  soundness  of  its  principles,  the 
correctness  of  its  details,  and  the  dignified  gran 
deur  and  firmness  of  its  march,  it  was  a  chef  d'ceu- 
vre  of  human  achievement. 

On  the  expiration  of  his  second  term  of  office, 
he,  although  perfectly  assured  of  success,  declined 
a  third  election  to  the  presidency,  and  withdrew  to 
the  shades  of  private  life,  with  an  increase  of  reso 
lution  to  abandon  them  no  more. 

In  September,  1796,  he  published  his  farewell 
address  to  the  people  of  the  United  States.  A 
public  document  of  the  richest  value,  and  will  be 
handed  down  to  the  latest  posterity  with  the  im 
mortal  declaration  of  independence. 


346 

This  great  and  good  man  expired  December  14? 
1799.  This  melancholy  event,  which  was  in  a 
short  time  announced  in  every  section  of  the  coun 
try,  produced  a  shock  more  severe  and  extensive 
than  had  ever,  perhaps,  been  experienced  from  the 
death  of  a  mortal. 

From  one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  the 
most  exalted  honours  were  paid  to  his  memory. 
Nor  were  the  tributes  on  this  occasion  confined  to 
America.  Some  of  the  ablest  pens  and  most  elo 
quent  tongues  in  Europe  were  exerted  in  portray 
ing  the  virtues  and  services  of  the  deceased. 

In  stature  he  was  upwards  of  six  feet;  in  his 
form  muscular  and  well  proportioned,  exhibiting 
the  appearance  of  unusual  strength ;  and  in  all  his 
movements  easy  and  graceful.  The  lineaments  of 
his  face  were  rather  on  the  Grecian  than  the  Ro 
man  model. 

His  appearance  was  strongly  indicative  of  his 
character.  It  exhibited  the  most  striking  repre 
sentation  of  greatness  and  majesty,  that  have  ever 
been  seen  attached  to  the  person  of  a  mortal.  No 
one  could  approach  him  without  experiencing  this 
sentiment,  and  feeling  that  he  was  in  the  presence 
of  the  greatest  of  men. 

Considered  as  a  compound  of  whatever  is  most 
estimable  and  magnificent  in  man,  he  is  without 
a  parallel  in  history  or  tradition.  In  no  other  in 
dividual,  ancient  or  modern,  has  such  transcendent 
greatness  been  found  associated  with  such  exalted 
virtue.  Perfection  does  not  belong  to  humanity ; 
but  the  nearest  approach  to  it  that  mortal  has  at 
tained,  is  believed  to  have  been  in  him.  A  pa 
triot  without  a  blemish ;  a  statesman  without  guile  ; 
a  leader  of  armies  without  ambition  ;  a  magistrate 
without  severity,  yet  inflexible  in  uprightness;  a 
citizen  exemplary  in  the  discharge  of  every  duty, 
a  man  in  whose  character  weakness  and  faults  ap 
peared  but  as  specks  on  the  brightness  of  the  sun  : 
who  had  religion  without  austerity,  dignity  with- 


t~ 

! 


••"••""1 


.Edwin  sc. 


Z*Kif!W.1tt!»lrtta 


) 


out  pride;  modesty  without  diffidence;  courage 
without  rashness ;  politeness  without  affectation ; 
affability  without  familiarity.  Such  was  the  founder 
of  American  liberty  and  independence. 

His  writings  are  expressed  in  a  style  of  dignified 
simplicity.  The  following  have  been  published  ; 
"  Official  Letters  to  the  American  Congress,  writ 
ten  during  the  War,"  2  volumes  8vo.  1795.  "Let 
ters  to  Arthur  Young  and  Sir  John  Sinclair,  on 
Agriculture,  and  the  Rural  Economy  of  the  United 
States,"  2  volumes  8vo.  "  Farewell  Address  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States." 


WEST,  BENJAMIN,  a  celebrated  historical  painter, 
was  born  near  Springfield,  Chester  county,  Penn 
sylvania,  in  the  year  1738.  At  an  early  age,  he 
evinced  an  attachment  for  drawing,  and  displayed 
an  uncommon  precocity  of  talent  in  that  art.  His 
designs  were  beheld  with  wonder  by  his  parents 
and  friends,  from  whom  he  received  every  .encou 
ragement. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  settled  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  acquired  new  facilities  in  the  progress  of 
his  favourite  art.  Here  he  also  received  employ 
ment  as  a  portrait  painter.  His  success  at  histori 
cal  painting  was  so  flattering,  that  after  passing 
nearly  a  year  in  New-York,  where  he  painted  the 
"  Student  reading  by  candle-light,"  he  determined 
to  visit  the  classical  shores  of  Italy.  He  accord 
ingly  embarked,  in  1760,  on  board  of  a  vessel  des 
tined  for  Leghorn ;  after  which,  he  immediately 
proceeded  to  Rome,  and  entered  on  the  10th  July, 
1760.  He  was  immediately  introduced  to  cardinal 
Albani,  and  Mengs.  At  the  recommendation  of 
Mengs,  he  visited  Florence,  Bologna,  and  Venice, 
and  studied  the  most  eminent  masters  of  anti 
quity. 


On  his  return  to  Rome,  animated  by  a  noble 
spirit  of  emulation,  he  determined  to  rival  his  fel 
low  students  by  painting  two  pictures,  one  of  "  Cy- 
men  and  Iphigeriia,"  and  another  of  "Angelica 
and  Medora,"  when  he  resolved  to  return  to  Ame 
rica.  At  Parma,  by  express  invitation  of  the  prince, 
he  was  presented  at  court. 

He  now  passed  through  Savoy  into  France,  on 
his  return  home,  and  resided  some  time  at  Paris. 
He  at  length  arrived  in  England,  on  the  20th  Au 
gust,  1763;  and  after  due  consideration  he  deter 
mined  to  settle  in  London. 

He  was  introduced  by  Dr.  Markham,  archbishop 
of  York,  to  Dr.  Johnson  and  Mr.  Burke. 

In  1765,  he  painted  "  the  Parting  of  Hector  and 
Andromache,"  for  the  bishop  of  Bristol;  and  "the 
Return  of  the  Prodigal  Son,"  for  the  bishop  of 
Worcester. 

Dr.  Drummond,  archbishop  of  York,  now  be 
came  one  of  his  most  zealous  patrons,  and  for 
whom,  he  painted  "Agrippina  landing  with  the 
ashes  of  Germanicus."  On  finishing  this  picture, 
he  was  introduced  by  the  archbishop  to  the  king, 
and  afterwards  to  the  queen. 

On  seeing  this  picture,  the  king,  as  a  mark  of 
his  approbation  proposed  to  him,  "  the  final  depar 
ture  of  Regulus  from  Rome." 

With  all  possible  haste,  he  produced  a  sketch, 
which  pleased  his  majesty  greatly,  and  from  this 
moment,  he  exhibited  a  partiality  for  him,  which 
continued  uninterrupted  during  the  long  term  of 
forty  years. 

He  was  frequently  invited  to  spend  the  evening 
at  Buckingham  house,  and  it  was  with  him,  in  the 
conversation  with  his  majesty,  that  the  plan  of  the 
royal  academy  was  first  canvassed  and  digested. 

Mr.  West  continued  to  receive  the  patronage  of 
his  royal  highness,  and  for  whom  he  painted  "  Ha- 
milcar,  making  his  son  swear  implacable  enmity 
against  the  Romans.'7  "  The  death  of  Wolfe ;" 


349 

u  The  death  of  Epaminondas  ;"  and  "  The  death  of 
Chevalier  Bayard." 

He  was  also  employed  to  paint  thirty-five  pic 
tures,  illustrative  to  the  history  of  revealed  reli 
gion,  which  were  to  be  placed  in  his  majesty's  pri 
vate  chapel  at  Windsor  castle. 

On  the  death  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  in  1791, 
he  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  the  royal 
academy. 

After  the  peace  of  Amiens  he  visited  Paris,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  contemplating  the  noble 
series  of  statues  and  pictures  contained  in  the 
splendid  galleries  of  the  Louvre.  He  received 
on  this  occasion  a  distinguished  reception  not 
only  from  the  French  artists,  but  the  French  go 
vernment. 

The  honours  paid  to  him  in  France,  appear  to 
have  given  umbrage  in  England,  and  he  partially 
lost  the  royal  patronage  for  a  time.  He,  however, 
appealed  to  the  public ;  and  the  appeal  was  not 
in  vain.  The  several  large  pictures  painted  by 
him,  on  his  return,  were  exhibited  with  great  eclat, 
and  proved  highly  productive.  The  British  insti 
tution  presented  him  with  3000  guineas,  for  the  ce 
lebrated  composition  of  "  Christ  healing  the  Sick," 
while  a  copy,  which  he  presented  to  the  hospital  of 
Pennsylvania,  at  Philadelphia,  actually  enabled  the 
committee  of  that  institution,  to  enlarge  the  build 
ing  for  the  reception  of  no  less  than  fifty  additional 
patients. 

The  death  of  Mrs.  West  on  the  10th  December, 
1817,  proved  a  melancholy  event  in  his  life,  by  has 
tening  his  own.  Accordingly  on  the  10th  March, 
1820,  this  great  painter  expired,  without  a  struggle. 
His  body  was  afterwards  transferred  to  one  oif  the 
saloons  of  the  royal  academy,  and  interred  with 
great  funeral  pomp,  in  St.  Paul's  cathedral. 

In  his  deportment  Mr.  West  was  mild  and  consi 
derate  :  his  eye  was  keen,  and  his  mind  apt ;  but  he 
was  slow  and  methodical  in  his  reflection. 


As  an  artist,  he  will  stand  in  the  first  rank.  His 
name  will  be  classed  with  those  of  Michael  Ange- 
lo  and  Raphael.  His  powers  of  conception  were 
of  a  superior  cast — equal  in  their  excellence  to 
Michael  Angelo's  energy,  or  Raphael's  grandeur ; 
and,  in  the  inferior  departments  of  drawing  and 
colouring,  he  was  one  the  greatest  artists  of  his 
age. 

He  received  from  his  majesty  for  pictures  on  va 
rious  subjects,  historical  and  religious  subjects, 
and  family  portraits,  £34,187  sterling.  The  whole 
number  of  the  works  of  his  pencil  amount  to  near 
ly  one  thousand. 


WALTON,  GEORGE,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  de 
claration  of  independence,  was  born  in  Frederick 
county,  Virginia,  about  the  year  1740.  At  an  early 
period,  he  removed  to  Georgia,  where  he  prosecut 
ed  the  study  of  the  law,  under  the  superintendence 
of  H.  Young,  Esq.  Having  completed  his  studies, 
he  embarked  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
the  year  1774.  The  progress  of  the  revolution  in 
the  other  colonies,  soon  rendered  it  necessary  that 
Georgia  should  take  a  decided  part  either  in  favour 
of,  or  in  opposition  to  the  royal  government.  At 
this  critical  period,  the  cause  of  liberty  proved  tri 
umphant,  and  a  council  of  safety  was  appointed. 

In  consideration  of  his  zeal  and  patriotism  he 
was  elected  by  the  legislature  of  Georgia,  a  dele 
gate  to  the  general  congres  ,  on  the  20th  February, 
1776.  On  the  4th  July,  he  was  one  of  those  worthy 
patriots,  who  pledged  "their  lives,  their  fortunes, 
and  their  sacred  honours,"  in  support  of  the  liber 
ties  of  the  people  in  that  solemn  declaration,  which 
for  ever  separated  the  colonies  from  Great  Britain. 

He  was  successively  re-elected  to  the  congress 
of  1777,78,  '79,  '80,  and '81 ;  in  this  latter  year,  he 


351 

finally  retired  from  the  great  national  council,  in 
whose  proceedings  he  had  so  long  and  ably  as 
sisted. 

As  an  evidence  of  the  public  confidence  in  his 
talents  and  usefulness,  he  was  six  times  elected  a 
representative  to  congress ;  twice,  a  governor  of 
the  state ;  once  a  senator  of  the  United  States ; 
and  four  times  judge  of  the  superior  courts.  The 
latter  office  he  held  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

He  closed  his  useful  and  laborious  life  on  the 
2d  of  February,  1804,  leaving  in  the  memory  of  his 
actions  and  his  accomplishments,  a  lasting  monu 
ment  of  his  worth,  and  a  rich  legacy  to  his  country. 


WILLIAMS,  WILLIAM,  one  of  the  signers  of  the 
declaration  of  independence,  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  on  the  8th  April,  1731. 

At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  entered  Harvard  col 
lege,  and  was  graduated  in  1751. 

In  1756,  he  commenced  his  political  career,  as 
the  town  clerk  of  Lebanon,  to  which  station  he  was 
annually  elected  during  the  long  period  of  forty- 
five  years.  He  was  chosen  about  the  same  time  to 
represent  the  town  in  the  general  assembly  of  Con 
necticut,  and  for  many  years  acted  as  speaker  of 
the  house  of  representatives.  During  the  greater 
part  of  the  revolution,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
council  of  safety,  whose  sessions  were  daily  and 
unremitting. 

In  1780,  he  was  elected  counsellor,  and  was  an 
nually  re-elected  for  twenty-four  years.  He  was 
seldom  absent  from  his  seat  in  the  legislature  for 
more  than  ninety  sessions,  except  when  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  general  congress. 

In  fact,  he  expended  his  whole  life  in  the  ser 
vice  of  the  public,  and  in  promoting  the  prosperity 
of  his  eoimtrv. 


He  was  appointed  a  delegate  to  represent  the 
state  of  Connecticut  in  the  general  congress  of 
1776.  He  was  therefore  present  and  assisted  in 
the  deliberations  of  that  august  assembly,  when 
the  great  charter  of  our  independence  was  submit 
ted  to  its  considerations.  He  now  embarked  en 
thusiastically  in  the  cause  of  the  colonies,  and  by  his 
writings  and  eloquence,  he  aroused  the  feelings  of 
his  fellow  citizens  to  resist  the  arbitrary  measures 
of  Great  Britain,  and  to  maintain  their  rights.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  state  convention  which  adopt 
ed  the  present  constitution.  Mr.  Williams  con 
tinued  to  render  distinguished  services  to  his  coun 
try,  till  the  day  of  his  death,  which  took  place  on 
the  2d  August,  1811,  in  the  eighty-first  year  of  his 
age. 


WOLCOTT,  OLIVER,  LL.  D.  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  declaration  of  independence,  was  born  at  East 
Windsor,  Connecticut,  on  the  26th  November, 
1726.  He  was  graduated  at  Yale  college  in  1747. 
He  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  medicine  under 
the  direction  of  his  brother,  but  before  he  was 
established  in  practice,  he  was  appointed,  in  the 
year  1751,  first  sheriff  for  the  county  of  Litchfield. 
He  afterwards  filled  various  offices,  and  lastly  was 
appointed  chief  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  for  the  county. 

On  all  questions  preliminary  to  the  revolutionary 
war,  he  was  a  firm  advocate  of  the  American  cause. 

In  July,  1775,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  one 
of  the  commissioners  of  Indian  affairs  for  the 
northern  department. 

In  January,  1776,  he  attended  congress  at  Phila 
delphia,  and  remained  with  that  body  till  the  de 
claration  of  independence  was  adopted  and  signed. 
He  then  returned  home,  and  was  appointed  major- 


386 

general  of  fourteen  regiments  of  the  Connecticut 
militia,  which  were  ordered  for  the  defence  of  New- 
York. 

In  November,  1776,  he  resumed  his  seat  in  con 
gress,  and  accompanied  that  body  to  Baltimore, 
during  the  eventful  winter  of  1777.  In  the  ensu 
ing  summer  he  joined  the  army  under  general 
Gates,  and  took  the  command  of  the  militia :  and 
aided  in  taking  the  army  under  Burgoync. 

In  February,  1778.  he  attended  congress  at 
Yorktown. 

In  1779,  he  took  the  field  at  the  head  of  a  divi 
sion  of  the  militia  for  the  defence  of  the  sea  coast 
of  Connecticut. 

From  1781  to  1783,  he  occasionally  attended 
congress. 

In  1784  and  '5,  he  was  a  commissioner  of  In 
dian  affairs,  and  was  one  of  those  who  prescribed 
the  terms  of  peace  to  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians. 

From  1786,  he  was  annually  elected  lieutenant- 
governor,  till  1796,  when  he  was  chosen  governor, 
which  office  he  held  till  his  death,  which  happened 
on  the  1st  December,  1797,  in  the  seventy-second 
year  of  his  age.  Governor  Wolcott  was  an  inflex 
ible  patriot, 

'*  Nor  kings,  nor  worlds  could  warp  his  steadfast  mind;" 

and  the  numerous  offices  which  he  filled,  are  pledges 
of  the  universal  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  fel 
low  citizens.  Incorruptible  integrity  and  unshaken 
firmness  were  conspicuous  in  his  character.  He 
was  the  friend  of  virtue  and  religion.  He  was  per 
sonally  acquainted  with  most  of  the  great  actors 
of  the  American  revolution,  and  his  name  is  re 
corded  in  connexion  with  most  of  its  important 
events. 


4" 


354 

WILSON,  ALEXANDER,  a  celebrated  naturalist, 
was  born  in  Scotland  about  the  year  1768.  He  re 
ceived  the  elements  of  a  classical  education  at  the 
grammar  school  at  Paisely,  his  native  town.  At 
an  early  period  of  life  he  evinced  a  strong  desire 
for  literature,  arid  occasionally  contributed  essays 
.  and  poetry  to  the  periodical  publications  of  the  day. 

In  1792,  he  published  "  Watty  and  Meg,"  a 
poem,  which  at  the  time  was  attributed  to  Burns, 
and  ranks  with  the  best  productions  of  the  Scottish 
muse. 

In  1794,  he  embarked  for  America,  and  arrived 
at  Philadelphia,  where  he  procured  employment  as 
a  copperplate  printer.  After  various  changes  of 
residence  and  employment,  he  at  length  solicited 
and  received  an  engagement  from  the  trustees  of 
the  Union  School,  on  the  Schuylkill,  near  Philadel 
phia.  It  was  here  that  he  contracted  an  intimacy 
with  Mr.  William  Bartram,  the  naturalist,  which 
continued  unabated  to  the  last  moments  of  his  ex 
piring  friend. 

His  friend,  whose  long  life  had  been  spent  in 
travels  and  researches  into  nature,  perceiving  the 
turn  of  his  mind  for  natural  history,  took  every 
pains  to  encourage  him  in  a  study,  which,  while  it 
expands  the  faculties,  and  purifies  the  heart,  in 
sensibly  leads  to  the  contemplation  of  the  glorious 
Author  of  nature. 

Mr.  Bartram  possessed  some  works  on  natural 
history,  particularly  those  of  Catesby  and  Edwards ; 
these  Mr.  Wilson  attentively  perused,  and  found 
himself  enabled,  even  with  his  slender  stock  of  in 
formation,  to  detect  errors  and  absurdities  into 
which  these  authors  had  fallen. 

Having  perused  all  the  works  of  naturalists,  par 
ticularly  those  relating  to  the  birds  of  America, 
and  finding  them  teeming  so  much  with  theories, 
fables,  and  misrepresentations,  that  he  no  longer 
looked  upon  them  as  authority,  but  turned  to  ex- 


§55 

ploring  the  fields  and  the  woods  as  his  only  safe 
guide. 

Having  satisfied  his  mind  of  the  utility  of  a  cor 
rect  history  of  the  birds  of  North  America,  he  ap 
plied  himself  with  unremitted  exertions  to  the  ac 
complishment  of  this  favourite  work. 

In  1807,  he  made  several  excursions  into  the 
western  parts  of  Pennsylvania  to  procure  speci 
mens,  and  in  the  following  year,  under  the  patron 
age  of  S.  F.  Bradford,  Esq.  of  Philadelphia,  the 
first  volume  of  that  splendid  work  made  its  appear 
ance.  From  this  moment  he  began  to  emerge 
from  the  vale  of  obscurity,  and  attain  that  enviable 
distinction  in  the  republic  of  science  and  letters, 
which  it  is  the  lot  of  but  few  to  enjoy. 

In  1810,  he  published  a  second  volume.  Shortly 
after  its  appearance,  he  took  a  tour  as  far  as  New- 
Orleans,  and  returned  in  the  course  of  the  next 
year  to  Philadelphia  with  the  fruits  of  his  industry 
and  perseverance,  including  several  specimens  of 
birds  hitherto  unknown. 

In  1812,  he  made  an  excursion  to  the  eastward, 
for  the  purpose  of  collecting  specimens,  and  of 
adding  to  his  stores  of  knowledge.  In  the  mean 
time  the  publication  advanced  as  rapidly  as  a  due 
regard  to  correctness  and  elegance  would  permit. 

Besides  the  journeys  already  mentioned,  he 
made  excursions  to  the  sea  shore  in  pursuit  of  the 
waders  and  webfooted  tribes ;  which  he  found  in 
immense  numbers.  The  aggregate  of  his  peregri 
nations  amounted  to  upwards  of  ten  thousand 
miles. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1813,  he  published 
the  seventh  volume  of  the  American  Ornithology. 
He  immediately  made  preparations  for  the  suc 
ceeding  one,  but  unfortunately  his  great  anxiety  to 
conclude  the  work,  condemned  him  to  an  excess  of 
toil,  which,  inflexible  as  was  his  mind,  his  bodily 
frame  was  unable  to  bear.  He  was  attacked  by  a 


disease  which,  after  a  few  days  of  illness,  put  a 
period  to  his  useful  life,  August  23, 1813. 

As  a  naturalist,  perhaps  no  age  or  nation  can 
lay  claim  to  one  who  was  more  eminently  qualified , 
He  was  indebted  for  his  ideas,  not  to  books,  which 
err,  but  to  nature  which  is  infallible ;  and  the  in 
estimable  transcript  of  her  work,  which  he  has  be 
queathed  to  us,  possesses  a  charm  which  affects 
us  the  more,  the  better  we  become  acquainted  with 
the  delightful  original. 


WARD,  ARTEMAS,  the  first  major-general  in  the 
American  army,  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college 
in  1743,  and  was  afterwards  a  representative  in  the 
legislature.  When  the  war  commenced  with 
Great  Britain,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  first 
major-general,  July  17,  1775.  After  the  arrival  of 
Washington,  in  July,  when  disposition  was  made 
of  the  troops  for  the  siege  of  Boston,  the  command 
of  the  right  wing  of  the  army  at  Roxbury  was  in 
trusted  to  general  Ward. 

He  resigned  his  commission  in  April,  1776, 
though  he  continued  for  some  time  longer  in  com 
mand  at  the  request  of  Washington.  He  after 
wards  devoted  himself  to  the  duties  of  civil  life. 
He  was  a  member  of  congress,  both  before  and 
after  the  adoption  of  the  present  constitution. 
After  a  long  decline,  in  which  he  exhibited  the 
most  exemplary  patience,  he  died  at  Shrewsbury; 
October  28,  1800,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

He  was  a  man  of  incorruptible  integrity.  So 
fixed  and  unyielding  were  the  principles  which 
governed  him,  that  his  conscientiousness  in  lesser 
concerns  was  by  some  ascribed  to  bigotry. 
life  presented  the  virtues  of  the  Christian. 


14  DAY  USE 

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